International Trade Committee on Sept. 27th, 2016

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Absolutely.

I find the labour shortage on the lobster side really interesting. In my area the challenge is that there is a lot of labour that is more than willing to work in the lobster fishery because of the yield on the lobster, but it's the other industries now that are being impacted. It's generally the same issue, but it's a push and pull between industries.

In terms of the temporary foreign workers program, our government is reviewing that program and has put out a report on it. I remember very clearly that David Ganong, from Ganong Bros. said to me several times in the last year that the problem with that program is the “t”; it should just be “the foreign workers program” bringing them in.

Are you familiar in this area with the Atlantic growth strategy that's specific to the four Atlantic provinces?

[Dennis King]

Yes, we had a briefing on it earlier this summer.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

In terms of the Atlantic growth strategy, that should help us out in this area with labour. The plan is for it to be employer-driven, whether it's based on the sector or the location. By 2017 there should be an increase in this area in particular of about 2,000, and that is separate from any aspect of the temporary foreign workers program.

[Dennis King]

The one aspect of it that intrigues us as an industry is that we always seem to focus on the recruitment. The retention is another key part. If we could find a way to remove the “t”....

We make the argument that 50 temporary foreign workers in Beach Point are keeping 150 local people working. I know there's a popular opinion that maybe they are taking jobs. Our view as an industry is that they're actually keeping and adding jobs here, because they are there filling that void that we can't seem to be able to fill.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Certainly.

Ms. Waters talked about the aging population. There are a lot of opportunities in the Atlantic provinces for services for an aging population, but we do need to have an influx of people to even keep our schools and services alive. We have schools in our fishing communities in southwest New Brunswick that would not at this point remain open without the workers who have come in for the plants.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Thank you. Your time is up.

We're going to move to the Conservatives. Mr. Van Kesteren, you have five minutes.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Thank you all for being here.

Mr. King, I'm going to start with you.

I was telling the folks in Saint John that I represent a riding that has the largest freshwater fishing port in the world, Wheatley. I think you're probably aware of Wheatley. In terms of size, it's not much bigger than this area, but for a freshwater fishing port, it's in....

We share a lot of the same concerns that you have. We've touched on the foreign workers program. I know this is certainly not out of your interest, but we're hearing some real challenges for fisher people...fishermen—I don't know if that's politically correct anymore.

[A voice]

Fishers.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Fishers. We've solved it.

Are you experiencing the same thing here in P.E.I.?

[Dennis King]

We were up until this year. Like many places, a lot of our people who would normally be doing that job were in Fort McMurray or elsewhere in Alberta. With the downturn out there, there seem to be more of what we call corks, or fishing assistants, this year than there were in other years. We think that also helped us with the trickle-down. People who may have been filling some of those jobs were then more available to work in the facilities. But yes, it's a challenge. If the P.E.I. Fishermen's Association were here, they would be able to speak more articulately than I would on it, but it's an issue.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Have you spoken to the government? I certainly made the recommendation to the past government that we attract people who are interested in fishing. In my neck of the woods there are a lot of Portuguese, for instance, who would love to immigrate to Canada.

Have you spoken to the government about that, for example, there has been a study done, that you will need somebody and you found replacements through immigration?

[Dennis King]

Probably not directly on that. As the executive director of the association, I'll say that our focus was really to try to plug the holes in the dam. We were more focused on trying to get ready to process mussels and lobster this spring. We probably didn't get down to that level yet.

Look, I think it's important. I think we have to be more creative in how we try to find solutions. I mean, these are big operators. The GDP impact from processing alone in P.E.I. is over $200 million. It's a big industry, and it's run on labour. We need to find a way to be more creative.

Our industry has to take responsibility. We have to be better at it. We have to be more cutting edge—suggestions like you gave.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

You did indicate that it's getting better. You've offered more money, but we both know it's not just the money. As you said, this is tough work. It might be different with Maritimers, but in my neck of the woods it's really challenging to get people to stand there and do the processing in a way that's cost-effective.

Have you been able to encourage the local population with piecework in those areas to fill that gap?

[Dennis King]

One of the great things we did in the last two years is work with some seniors groups who work four-hour days.

The problem with the industry is that this is a fresh live product. This isn't like carrots, when on Friday afternoon you can leave the carrots on the floor and come back. When 75,000 pounds of lobster come in that day, they have to be dealt with. That has, in the past, made it so that you'd come in at eight o'clock in the morning and you wouldn't know what time you were going home. You could work until nine that night or whatever—long, long days.

Some of the facilities have been bringing in some seniors for four hours in the evening so it shortens the day for others. Once again, it's just a small example, but a creative way to try to.... High school students weren't eligible for the program until they were done their exams and their school year, but they could work some evenings and weekends. In the peak times in May and June, that takes a lot of pressure off a facility.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Thank you for that. I'll take that home. I've never heard of that in my neck of the woods.

[Dennis King]

Well, a lot of seniors want to work a little bit, so maybe they can work 15 to 20 hours.

[A voice]

They can get a real job.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Since Mr. King came a little late, which was fine, Mr. Ritz and Madam Lapointe didn't have a chance to ask him any questions, so we're going to give them a couple of minutes each, if he doesn't mind.

Mr. Ritz, go ahead.

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It's good to see you. You all do a tremendous job. As you say, it's always about labour and timeliness on best-before date product and best-before hour product, really.

What type of strain does it put on you, in that part of your processing is seasonal? As you said, you get 75,000 pounds of lobster in and you have to deal with it. The other part is almost annual, in that you have farmed mussels and oysters, and so on, which is good because it keeps your processing open year-round. The stress of the seasonal, then, on top of the farmed, how do you deal with that?

[Dennis King]

Well, yes, the mussel industry is unique because it's a smoother process, and they do it throughout the year.

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

It's predictable.

[Dennis King]

Yes. With lobster, when you're talking May and June when we're fishing here, and then in the fall season, which is still ongoing, you're more subject to the peaks. We never use the word “glut”, but the glut of lobster that would come in. Throughout the rest of the year, we're importing Maine or southwest Nova lobsters, so there are all kinds of work, but it's a more predictable process. The peaks are when it's volatile and challenging. The two busiest months are May and the first week of June, really.

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

You gear up accordingly. You also need markets that adjust to that as well. You're out there working ahead of that busy season to make sure you have the markets in place, so you slow down the mussels a little bit and speed up the lobster a little bit.

[Dennis King]

They kind of work...it's two different tracks, really.

Trucks are leaving every day with fresh mussels and lobster.