Loyola Hearn

[Fisheries, May 18th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, as the member well knows, there is a crisis in the fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador, particularly in his own region.

In relation to Fishery Products International, we are in discussions at present with the provincial government and the union. FPI has not indicated at all that it does not intend to continue business as usual. However, I will guarantee the member that it will not ship any fish to China or anywhere else outside this country by water. If it goes by land, it is then outside our hands.

[Fisheries and Oceans, May 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, let me say that with the former government, the former prime minister in particular, whenever there was an issue, whenever the squeeze came on, the logical thing was thrown out and they would convene a conference to deflect attention from the real issue.

I have no problem with spending money when we get results but we saw a lot of smoke and mirrors. Any time we get a benefit, the money is well spent. I offer my guarantee to the member and the people of Canada that we are not spending my money or the member's money. We are spending taxpayer money and we will get value for every cent we spend.

[Atlantic Accord, May 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, we all remember the old Gilligan show. I just cannot think of the name of the parrot but I am sure it will come to me.

Let me assure the individual who spends more time watching television than he does following what goes on in his own province that we will ensure that Newfoundland and Labrador gets every cent it deserves and will be treated as fairly as any other province in this country. That is the commitment of the Minister of Finance, the commitment of the Prime Minister and the commitment of this government.

[Atlantic Accord, May 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the member, being a Newfoundlander, should know that the Minister of Fisheries will always be the skipper of the ship.

We know the commitments we made, not only made but delivered to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Maybe he should ask why we had to wait so long to deliver to a province what was rightfully a province's own justification for getting good benefit from the offshore that his party should have delivered years ago.

[Atlantic Accord, May 8th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, what surprises me is the gall the hon. member has to stand up and ask a question like that. When we were fighting to get the benefits for our province from the Atlantic accord and when our Prime Minister forced the government to deliver, that member and others sat there and would not lift a finger to help Newfoundland and Labrador.

[Fisheries and Oceans, May 4th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the credit for this great initiative should really go to the member for South Shore--St. Margaret's. He was the first to introduce two private member's bills on this issue. He was with the Prime Minister and myself in Indian Harbour in Nova Scotia when we made the commitment before the election.

It is interesting to hear the member for Cardigan and the member for Halifax West trying to take credit. It must be a great program. They are not criticizing it. They are trying to take ownership.

[Fisheries and Oceans, April 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, again, the member knows it has absolutely nothing to do with geography. We have a 20% tariff on shrimp going into the European market on which we are working. He also realizes that the ministers from Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador all have talked to us about this. They agreed that fish quotas should go to the fishermen. Without the extra shrimp this year, they would not survive in the industry, and that is what is most important to us.

[Fisheries and Oceans, April 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows a lot better than that. The shrimp allocations this year were given directly to the fishermen to ensure we could save an industry that is in severe trouble.

Nobody knows better than the member the state of the shrimp industry in Quebec. That industry is in the same state in New Brunswick and in Newfoundland and Labrador. Consequently, our quotas this year went where they should go, to the people who participate in the industry.

[Fisheries, April 25th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, some years ago, the stocks in New Brunswick were practically eradicated because of disease. The former government promised to help. It did not deliver on its promise.

Even though the industry right now has self-rationalized, it still needs to be put on a steadier footing. We will be providing immediately $10 million to the industry so it can continue to progress in the great province of New Brunswick.

[Fisheries, April 11th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, what the member has to remember first of all is how Prince Edward Island got its share of northern shrimp in the first place, and he can certainly answer that question.

In relation to this year's fishery, the shrimp fishery is in serious trouble. Every ounce of shrimp this year went to the people who fish it, the fishermen, whether it be the inshore boats or the bigger boats. All shrimp went to the fishermen, where it should go, because that is the only way we can keep the industry alive.