Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Chair's acceptance of this emergency debate application and the opportunity again to put before the House and Canadians the dire straits currently felt in Canso, Nova Scotia.
Last Thursday's decision by the fisheries and oceans minister from Nova Scotia to reject the proposal that was submitted by the town of Canso with respect to a division 3O redfish application for quota has had a devastating impact both on their spirits and their ability to re-open the Seafreez plant.
The Seafreez plant is the only major employer in the town of approximately 1,000 people and the surrounding community. I do not want to go over the same material again, but I remind the Chair that this is an issue of utmost urgency for these individuals, not only because of the work but because of the options that are no longer available to them. They have no ability to get the hours necessary to qualify for employment insurance benefits.
Similarly, to put it in historical context, this particular port has been relying on the fishery for over 400 years. The plant has been operating successfully for the past 10 years. Without access to the quota, there is no ability for the plant to open its doors.
It very much leads into and relates to a broader issue and that is one of overfishing on the east coast. I would respectfully submit there is a similar argument to be made on the west coast.
In particular, with respect to overfishing by foreign vessels, there has been much made and there has been much heard in recent days by the fisheries committee that has travelled throughout Canada and which is in Atlantic Canada as we speak. There is the problem or plight of the raping of the fish resource on the east coast.
The community does not have the options that might be available to other parts of Canada. People in the town, both young and old, have been resting all their hopes on and are clinging to the request that was made by the task force, the union, the trawlermen's association and the town supported by the surrounding areas in the county for this proposal.
The socioeconomic impact is enormous. The minister for ACOA has suggested that other industrial development programs and projects that might be coming to fruition in the near future will assist the town of Canso. That should not be an either/or situation. One should not preclude the other. The fisheries industry is vital to the economic survival of Canso.
I respectfully urge the Chair to accept this application. It would allow all members of the House, particularly those from Atlantic Canada, to focus on the issue of overfishing offshore, the economic impact not only of the collapse and moratorium that has been placed on some species, but also the broad ramifications for having taken away the livelihood of people on the east coast who for generations have been dependent on the fishery.
The number of foreclosures on homes and the number of businesses that have closed are real indicators of the grave need for revitalization of the fishery and the need for a concerted attempt and effort by the government and the minister in particular to manage the fisheries properly.