Mr. Chair, I am not planning to close any offices or reduce any of our conservation and protection programs.
House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2015, with 29% of the vote.
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, I am not planning to close any offices or reduce any of our conservation and protection programs.
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, Canada is very competitive within the fisheries industry. I would just like to say that if the hon. member is talking about our conservation and protection program in New Brunswick, we do have a very healthy staff of officers who operate out of New Brunswick and we have added 153 new fisheries officers since 2006.
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, I will have to get back to the hon. member on that.
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, the $10 million was targeted for marketing and product development within the lobster industry.
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, we do not deny that there is ice in Newfoundland. Of course there is ice in Newfoundland, but in the past the Government of Canada has occasionally provided financial assistance to harvesters where there were unusually severe ice conditions that persisted well into the fishing season and the fishers were not able to reach their grounds and earn the income.
Most recently, such assistance was provided in 2007. Ice conditions in 2009 have been much less severe.
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, that is not the way Canada conducts itself on the international stage.
While we are disappointed that members have overrun the bycatch targets for cod, we will be pressing NAFO contracting parties to address the issue at the next annual meeting that will take place later this year. While they are legally binding bycatch limits, the targets for 3NO cod were much more stringent and were voluntary. In fact, the cod recovery plan adopted by NAFO in 2007 says that if a targeted reduction is not achieved, the fisheries commission is to consider additional measures for subsequent years and contracting parties will consider additional measures.
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, we do recognize the fishing rights of other nations. What we will not accept is the abuse of those rights. Through our leadership, NAFO has established tough rules that severely punish overfishing. Those found to be breaking the rules face stiff penalties and risk being taken off the water.
Canada is the main NAFO party that patrols the NAFO regulatory area and enforces these rules. Through our leadership, diplomacy and enforcement efforts at NAFO, we have achieved the objectives of custodial management over the NAFO regulatory area.
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, when we did prebudget consultations prior to the budget, one of the things that was asked for by the industry was access to credit. I can assure the hon. member that BDC and EDC have assisted the industry a lot to ensure that buyers are buying this year and that processors are processing this year. If it were not for that, we would be in much worse shape.
I can assure him that in discussions with the provinces, the provincial loan boards are willing to come to the table to provide some flexibility and provide short term relief to the industry. I know that fishers are doing what they can to cut their costs.
In the medium and the long terms, we are supporting the industry to help the market recover with $10 million in marketing money, and that is where it has to come from, an increase in the markets.
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, this government has done much for fisheries in Atlantic Canada. The first thing that it did back in 2006 was establish the $500,000 capital gains exemption for fishers, and budget 2007 expanded this amount to $750,000. I know, from being a provincial politician, this is something the fishers were asking for, for a long time, from a Liberal government that ignored them.
The hon. member cannot stand and pretend that he is the saviour of the fishers here when he did nothing while he was there.
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, actually that was paid by the Conservative Party of Canada. It was not paid by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.