Mr. Chair and members of the committee, thank you very much for accommodating me on short notice and allowing me to testify. It's very much appreciated.
As was stated, I'm the executive secretary of the Canadian Independent Fish Harvesters' Federation, which is a national federation of organizations that represent independent fishermen. We have 34 different member organizations in five provinces, which in turn represent more than 7,000 independent fishermen.
Our members in B.C. are the United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union, who you heard testimony from on Tuesday, and the BC Hook and Line Fishermen's Association, who, for the most part, fish full-time. They are working active fishermen who fish leasing quota.
I would like to make an initial opening statement on our federation's perspective on licensing policy in general. I would then like to address the three issues that are before the committee: fleet separation, owner-operator, and adjacency. I'd like to conclude with our particular perspective on licensing policy in the Pacific region.
Like my predecessors, I've written it all down, so I'm going to plow through and read.
Our federation believes that Canadian fishing licences and quotas should be held primarily by active fishermen living in coastal communities. In other words, the benefits of Canada's fisheries resources should flow first and foremost to the people who actually fish and to their fishing communities. We believe that the independent owner-operator approach to fishing provides the best socio-economic and conservation returns to Canada and, more importantly, to its fishing communities.
It is our opinion that it is in the public interest for the Government of Canada to develop and strengthen public policies in that regard. I mention the public interest because the Supreme Court of Canada has determined that it is the duty of the minister to conserve, manage, and develop Canada's fisheries resources “in the public interest”, and that should be the test. When you look at our fisheries policies, are they in the public interest?
With that in mind, our federation believes there should be consistent national commercial fishing licence policies on both coasts, and that B.C. fishermen and coastal communities should benefit from the same kind of policy protections as do their Atlantic counterparts, if that is their choice.
Now I'd like to address the three issues before you.
The first is fleet separation. Fleet separation was established in 1979. It applies only to Atlantic Canada and only to fishing vessels of less than 65 feet. The policy separates the fishing from the processing for that sector, the under-65-feet fleet sector, by prohibiting fish processors and other corporate interests from holding or controlling fishing licences in what is known now as the “independent core sector”. Later, I'll explain and give you some details on what that independent core sector is.
I'd like to quote the Honourable Roméo LeBlanc from 1977. He was the Minister of Fisheries at the time and was explaining the original intent of this policy.
Mr. LeBlanc said, “I propose that in future, we separate the fishing fleet from the processing companies in Atlantic Canada.” He said, “Fishermen should own their own boats, and be able to sell fish where they want.” Also, he said, “Creating a truly independent fleet should...raise fish prices and fishermen's incomes, increase the fishermen's bargaining power, create a healthier balance of forces in the industry” and invigorate fleet development by the fishermen. Mr. LeBlanc said that in 1977, and fleet separation was adopted two years later, in 1979.
What did he want to do? He wanted to impede or prohibit monopoly control in the fishery. He wanted to create healthy, competitive markets for fishermen's products, and he wanted to avoid, more than anything else, returning Atlantic Canada to the dark past of the company store and the fish lords who ruled over fishermen and fishing communities.
I know that some of you are from fishing communities where that was the reality. In 1977, it was in the living memory of fishermen, and he wanted to avoid that. The amazing thing is that he was successful.
Fleet separation was successful. Today, there is a very dynamic dockside market competition amongst buyers for independent fishermen's products in Atlantic Canada, and it's thanks to fleet separation.
I have some interesting data that I wasn't able to prepare for you in terms of the fishermen's share of lobster, for instance, and the lobster price compared to the retail price. I wasn't able to pull it together in time. I'll give you the big picture.