Fisheries Committee on April 1st, 2009

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Good afternoon, Mr. LeBlanc and Mr. Saulnier.

First, I want to clarify something for Mr. MacAulay. You asked a question about the increase of fees set by the government or the department. In their response, I think the witnesses said these fees date back to 1993. Your government was in office at that time.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

I didn't say it, he did.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

I just wanted to remind you in passing.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

All governments.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Let us get back to your proposal. I suppose you have others, but you insisted on this one because you consider it important. I would like to know why it is a priority for you. This is a pilot project or an agency working in a particular field, but what kind of scope would it have?

We all know that an information campaign or some kind of agency can have a small, medium or large scope. I would like you to explain what this represents to you. What kind of mandate would this pilot project have? How long would it last? A year or two?

[Hubert Saulnier]

We would be looking at this as a long-term project. Hopefully, my goal would be to have at least a five-year pilot project on this system. Again, rather than cutting our fees down, I'd rather use this.

This money would be used to rent an office in southwest Nova Scotia, pay rent, pay electricity, and hire staff. We need a small boardroom, because we have to come up with a board of directors, which would include fishermen and hopefully a few lobster buyers as well. They're part of the solution. We're looking at hiring a secretary, and somebody to keep the books in order and everything else, all the paperwork, the fax machines.

My vision would be to hire an individual staff person who would be working with the person we hire to run this agency--I don't know what to call it, I just call it an agency. That person would be sitting there. A lot of crew members do have concerns and they have nobody to turn to. Hopefully these crew members onboard our vessels would have somebody to turn to if they have a situation or a particular problem. They could go there and talk to this individual and discuss the issue.

This could escalate to become even more than that. We could hire students in the summertime to do surveys and interview the fishermen on things that could be done, too.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Would you say this proposal is a result of this sort of vacuum you have there? It is the only word that comes to my mind. After all, you are already acting responsibly, but it is as if you were substituting for someone else who should normally have done this work in the first place. Product promotion should have been done already.

[Hubert Saulnier]

Yes.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

We should then ask that more resources be provided to those who are doing the job. The fact that you are asking this in order to exercise some control means that the required work is not presently being done.

[Hubert Saulnier]

If buyers are responsible for promotion…

I'll go back to English, if you don't mind.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

It does not bother me.

[Hubert Saulnier]

If it's done by the buyers, the promotion, there's still a lack of trust among the fishermen themselves around what the buyers are getting for their product, the shipping cost. Are they really telling us the truth?

This agency would be working on behalf of every licence holder in district 34, and district 33 as well.

I think we'd have a lot more trust among the fishermen coming from this so-called office, body, agency, than from having a buyer promote the product. If MSC is coming down, who is supposed to pay for or cover that? We would like to be involved. Traceability going to Europe is coming down the road in January 2010. Who's going to pay for that? If it's a buyer, do we trust what he's telling us?

This agency would be the voice of the fishermen, sending out newsletters every month or every second month to the industry on what's really going on. I think it's the trust that needs to be there.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

As I understand it, you figured out a solution that you have certainly discussed with your group and others. It is linked to the fact that, generally speaking, independence is vital to you.

[Hubert Saulnier]

Yes.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

I am not referring to another form of independence, which should be kept for another debate. You want to be part of the decision-making process, but in a special way. You want to be independent; you do not want to submit to decisions you were not involved in.

[Hubert Saulnier]

Yes.

That is correct, and it's very hard to get young fishermen to take these positions. Roger is probably one of our youngest ones. This document--the first one we prepared--was approved by every fishermen's association within LFA 34. Ashton Spinney signed off on this proposal--you met with him this morning--as well as Wayne Spinney for the Bay of Fundy Inshore, Roger for the Maritime Fishermen's Union, Bernie Berry for Yarmouth County Fixed Gear, and me for the Fundy Fixed Gear Council.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Unfortunately, my time is almost over.

Are there any other short-term solutions you would like the federal government to consider, solutions that would help you both now and in the future? Is there anything else we can do?

[Hubert Saulnier]

Right now we're just asking for some short-term funding so we can develop a business plan, because next season is coming in eight months. If this is ever adopted in Ottawa and approved it's going to take time. So right now for the short term we need some funding to get a business plan, look for office space, get the ball rolling, and see if it's feasible.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you.

Mr. Stoffer.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Gentlemen, thank you especially for taking the time off the water to come to speak to us.

Sir, how many traps are they allowed per boat in LFA 34 and LFA 33?

[Roger LeBlanc]

We are allowed 375 on opening day in the fall, and 25 the first of April. The year before we were allowed 375 and 25 the first of February, and 25 the first of April. So this year we are down 25 traps.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

If I'm not mistaken, LFA 34 has the highest number of traps per boat of all the LFAs. Is that correct?

[Roger LeBlanc]

Yes.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

I remember asking the minister this question a couple of years ago. Is that not one of the reasons why the licence fee is higher than in other LFAs? For example, Eastern Shore has 250 per boat. You have 375.

I'm not defending the fee you're paying, but is it not feasible that if you have more traps your fee should be higher?

[Roger LeBlanc]

No, because some districts have fewer traps than we do and stock more than we do now.