Debates of May 28th, 2009

Fisheries and Oceans--Main Estimates, 2009-10

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Mr. Chair, there are areas in my riding where the catch is reasonable.

There has been a lot of discussion here tonight. I am sure the minister did not wish to indicate to the House, or to the people watching tonight, that $3 a pound is good. It is nothing but a horror. It is an insult to fishermen.

The fact is there are fishermen who are catching a decent catch, but they are not getting paid for it. We have fishermen who are not catching lobster. If they do not have any way to receive an income this winter, they will have to go out west to work, and there is no work there.

I urge the minister to work as hard as she possibly can with her colleagues and the Prime Minister so that the fishermen are able to receive EI funds. The mechanism is there. All they have to do is go to the 2008 catches. If they do that then they will be able to receive EI.

I have to ask the minister a question about rationalization. I am sure the minister is well aware that it is federal jurisdiction. Any fishermen that I speak to has absolutely no time for a loan that has to be paid back. They see this as a responsibility of the Government of Canada.

I fully agree that the tobacco growers in Ontario are paid. Many, many times across this country there have been payouts. What we need to do in the rationalization program is to be sure we do not do it on the backs of the fishermen who are left in the industry.

I would be pleased if my hon. colleague from the province of Prince Edward Island could tell us here tonight that this will not happen.

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Chair, I asked the hon. member for some information on the average catch in that area, but I guess he probably does not know that.

I do realize that rationalization is a problem. We are working on a plan for rationalization. We are gathering some information. The fishermen I have talked to want to see rationalization happen, and they are quite willing to be a part of it.

I want to point out to the hon. member that for as long as I can remember rationalization has been an issue in the Northumberland Strait. Maybe the hon. member could tell his constituents why that is.

[The Chair, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I would inform the hon. member for Cardigan that if he takes any more time it will be taken away from his colleagues.

We will go to the hon. member for Cape Breton—Canso.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Chair, I find it strange to be in the House talking about fish without the member for Delta—Richmond East.

The minister has referenced $10 million several times tonight for marketing, innovation, product technology development. How much will actually be spent on marketing?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Chair, that will be decided by the lobster council in discussions with ACOA.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Chair, we will see if it might match the amount that has been spent on the attack ads.

Before the minister took her post, her predecessor, Loyola Hearn, granted a million dollar crab licence to Tim Rhyno against the advice of the department and against the wishes of the fleet. The minister granted this licence, and it was refused on three different appeals. If the minister is going to honour this licence, who is going to suffer because of this decision?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Chair, the licence was granted by my predecessor. The hon. member knows that licensing decisions are confidential matters and they will not be discussed on the floor of the House.

I believe the quota was increased in that area. Obviously the minister at the time felt that was the right thing to do.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Chair, if it is given to one it is being taken from another. Obviously the minister is referring to the broad and deep sweeping nature of the powers of the minister.

The minister has been in contact with the Inverness South Fishermen's Association. Is she looking at granting an allocation to crab in area 12 to this group?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Chair, I did have the pleasure to meet with the group that was referred to. They outlined their concerns. They were looking for some increase in crab quota, because apparently they fish a small quota right now. But no, we are not planning any increase to the crab quota this year.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Chair, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and all fishermen in the gulf region, are very committed to conservation of the lobster fishery. They looked at the 10 point conservation plan. It was supposed to be a mandatory plan. All the people were moving ahead knowing that it was going to be a mandatory plan. The minister pulled back from being compelled to comply with the 10 point plan. I will ask her why.

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Chair, there were several organizations that did not feel they had enough time to work on a 10 year plan. They said they were only contacted in October. They had to have their plan done by January. They did not feel that two months to work on a 10 year plan was enough time. We have made the plans voluntary for this year, and they will have extra time to work on those plans.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Chair, it is a 10 point plan, not a 10 year plan.

The minister spoke about the salmon hatcheries and funding for the salmon hatcheries. Will the Margaree Salmon Hatchery qualify for any of this money?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Chair, the salmon endowment fund was given $30 million in 2007, and I assume it can apply to the fund for funding for this purpose.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Chair, $30 million was given in 2005 by Paul Martin to the endowment fund. The government has done nothing for the salmon hatcheries. What is it going to do for the salmon hatcheries in Atlantic Canada?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Chair, it is my understanding that $30 million of the endowment fund went to the Atlantic salmon association in 2007.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Chair, commercial smelt nets have decimated the smelt fishery in Lingan Bay and destroyed the recreational fishery. Is there a plan in place to remove those nets and re-establish the fishery?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Chair, that is something I would have to deal with the regional director about.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Chair, regarding $200 million for small craft harbours, I am wondering if there is any plan that would include land based projects that would be able to assist fishermen who are not going to qualify for their EI this year?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Chair, I am not sure if the hon. member means whether it would be possible that fishermen could find work with all the work that will be going on in small craft harbours. I would suppose that is a possibility, because contractors should be very busy.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Chair, the minister has announced a fishery plan for Greenland halibut in the St. Lawrence. At present, access is restricted to fixed gear fishers.

Can the minister assure this committee that trawlers will be permanently prohibited and that the 450 tonnes of halibut reserved for bycatches will continue to be reserved exclusively for fixed gear fishers?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Chair, we have several fishing plans that are still in process. That is something we will be finishing up in the next week.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Does that mean it will be reserved exclusively for our fixed fisheries?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Chair, that will be part of the management plan that will be completed this week, and when it is completed it will be made public.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Chair, I understand it was already announced.

Although the shrimp fishery is going through a crisis, the minister thought it wise to take the rights of Quebec fishers and give them to people in Prince Edward Island, only for them to turn around and sell those rights back to Quebec fishers for a profit.

Does the minister believe that the solution to this fishery problem lies in taking the quotas that legitimately belong to Quebec fishers and give them to third parties, who then sell them back to the same fishers, thereby risking the viability of the original recipients of those quotas?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Chair, actually, nothing was taken from Quebec. There was a 2.3% overall increase in the quota increase, and I believe of the total quota Quebec fishers get almost 60% of it, while P.E.I. and Nova Scotia get 1.15%.