In some of the interviews I've done with some of the harvesters and the processors, I've asked them to consider two questions. One is why it is that every spring in this province we find ourselves in this battle over negotiating the price. I can go across the gulf and they don't have it. Quebec doesn't have it. I think that's one question that has to be answered.
We have a panel in this province that addresses the price, and maybe that's something we have to take a look at. But we definitely have to address that issue.
The other one is why we seemingly always get a lower price than the rest of Atlantic Canada and Quebec. I've asked that of a number of people. I won't comment at this point as to what my thoughts are, but I hope that many of these people will take a look at that over the coming year.
There have been letters forwarded to my office asking that we open it to outside buyers. I've looked at that, and we as a government have discussed it. On the one hand you get a harvesting sector that says we need more and more competition and that we subsidize plant workers because we're forced into that situation. But then you have plant workers who say don't allow it to happen because you will be taking jobs away from us. We have to find that balance
It goes back to one of the points I made, that the parties around the table are going to have to be rather strong in their resolve to open themselves up to the problems that are contributing to this annual negotiation and breakdown of the fishery. I think once we get to that point, and the recognition that we need fewer harvesters and fewer processors...and as to how we can somehow, as government, support that restructuring, we'll have a different fishery, and I think a more productive one, in this province.