Good morning to all the members of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, as well as all the captains at the back of the room.
It seems to me that, prior to this year, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans should have cut crab quotas gradually. This year, the quota cut has put a great deal of pressure on the economy in our RCM. The municipality, the RCM in general and business have been hit hard. For the fishing captains who are behind me, this year has brought a deficit. Since the crab fishery closed in 1989, captains have made the necessary effort to conserve the species. They have paid for observers at sea, like the BIOREX company, and dockside observers from Resmar Inc., who are responsible for weighing the crab that is fished. During those years, there were about 130 traditional crabbers. Now there are more than 350. That is what is known as overfishing. There are too many people out there, and that is why the resource is declining.
As regards the dock hands, it is impossible for them to qualify for employment insurance when they only work four weeks. They are worried about their future. The federal government should provide financial assistance and training at the École des pêches.
As for plant employees, once again, I come back to employment insurance, because people work in order to qualify. Some work in plants for four weeks, which does not really pay much. One thing is for sure: they are not eligible for employment insurance.
Because we live in a remote, even devitalized region, the government should reduce the number of hours needed to qualify for employment insurance and restore isolation premiums for people living in areas such as ours, which are remote. That would really help people.
In terms of the local economy—convenience stores, grocery stores and businesses—the situation is not promising. Sales are down. Plants where US money is coming in are not financially viable. The exchange rate is too high. The government should also consider granting a tax exemption to processing plants. It would be possible to have employees work at other sites and grant them tax exemptions.
In the Gaspé region, wood is disappearing. There is no more wood and there has been no more cod since the moratorium, as my colleagues were saying a little earlier. Now a moratorium is being imposed on the crab fishery. What will become of that fishery, of the fishing captains, dock hands and plants in years to come? I do not know whether the government can answer that, but I would really like an answer.
Thank you, and have a nice day.