House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 57% of the vote.
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, I believe that question was on shrimp.
However, according to the most recent data provided by the federal government's own Canadian Ice Service, ice along the northeast coast of Newfoundland remains well above average, according to the government's own agency. The most extensive and extreme ice conditions have existed for 15 years today.
Will the minister now acknowledge that the northeast coast does indeed have an ice problem? She would not before.
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, that is why the World Wildlife Fund had to put out a press release explaining that the European Union is the chief culprit in overcatches of cod as a bycatch fishery. It had to do something about it because the government certainly was not doing anything about it.
With regard to the NAFO convention that her government promised would be brought to the floor of this chamber, will the minister assure this chamber that there will be no new or increased allocations of shrimp or any other species awarded to other NAFO member states, such as the Faroe Islands in respect of Denmark, to buy their votes for the ratification of the new NAFO charter? Will the minister assure this House of that point?
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, someone needs to explain why lobster buyers reduced buying or stopped buying altogether, or why the shrimp industry is now shut down in Newfoundland. If access to credit is so readily available, that would be a very good question that a fishermen from eastern Canada would love to have answered.
However, I will now quote the minister who said that Canada has now “assumed custodial management of the fishery in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) regulatory area”. However, members of this chamber know the truth. If Canada has custodial management of the nose and the tail of the Grand Banks, why is the European Union continuing to rape cod stocks by overfishing millions of pounds of cod as bycatch? This was a fact that was acknowledged by her own government in a memorandum to NAFO from Canada, which I hold in my hand.
Does the minister really believe that Canada has custodial management in her hands, in the hands of her platform, or is that just another piece of Conservative rhetoric?
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, the minister has often suggested that her government's approved access to credit and initiatives to build wharves will help fishermen today facing immediate personal financial crisis. Those statements kind of speak for themselves. They just do not fly with fishermen who cannot pay their bills today.
Immediate changes to how EI benefits are determined this year, income support, support for inventory costs and a federal government-funded, licensed rationalization program are what is needed.
Could the minister tell us if any of these much needed programs are coming or just press releases paid for by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for the Conservative Party of Canada, because that is all the minister has provided thus far?
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, if we could find out exactly how much that would be that would be very helpful because, of course, there were preparation costs and the use of a private sector distributor called Marketwire. In fact, if we go to Marketwire, that press release is still on the website today and still lists government employees as the Conservative Party of Canada's contact.
However, let us get to the business of fish now. The federal government is providing Canada's auto sector with approximately $15 billion in financial assistance in the wake of this economic crisis. That $15 billion is for an industry that generates $90 billion in annual sales. Obviously the government believes that a stimulus for the auto industry is required that is roughly 20% of the auto industry's annual sales.
The Atlantic lobster industry, however, is worth $1 billion, and it has been assisted with just 1% of the industry's annual value: $10 million for advertising. It gives 20% here and 1% for the lobster industry.
Will the minister commit to providing a minimum of $200 million in support for Atlantic Canada's lobster fishermen, representing 20% of that industry's annual value, yes or no?
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, if there is no money for fishermen, could the minister say or explain to us how much money was actually spent using departmental resources, fisheries and oceans resources, on issuing partisan press releases? How much money was given back to the treasury as a result?
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, the review is in. The industry is already in crisis and this would go a long way in assisting fishermen.
I have in my hands a press release that has been issued by the minister, issued from the Conservative Party, using federal government funds. It directs media to call a phone number and talk to ministerial and departmental staff members for further information on Conservative Party matters. I will happily table that.
Could the minister tell the committee if she feels it is proper for the minister to have federal government employees listed as the contact for the Conservative Party of Canada on its press releases?
Business of Supply May 28th, 2009
Mr. Chair, I will take advantage for an opportunity to ask 10 minutes of questions to the minister followed by questions from the member for Madawaska—Restigouche for 5 minutes.
I would like to know several things. The fishery is clearly in crisis, that we do know. Not only is the lobster fishery in crisis but the crab and shrimp fisheries are as well. In fact, for nearly every commercial fishery in Canada today harvesting costs are exceeding the price fishermen are getting at the wharf.
Would the minister respond to the new challenges facing the fishery by ending the collection of licence and monitoring fees and refund the millions of dollars that have already been taken from the pockets of people who have serious trouble paying the bills they already have, yes or no? Will licence and monitoring fees be ended?
Fisheries and Oceans May 14th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, Liberals took it upon themselves today to do what the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans refuses to do herself.
Today in Ottawa, at the request of this side of the House, we met with industry leaders and heads of organizations from Atlantic Canadian fishing industry interests. Last week, the FFAW, the Maritime Fishermen's Union, the PEIFA, and Regroupement des pêcheurs professionnels du sud de la Gaspésie, among others, called for an emergency meeting with the federal fisheries minister to discuss the crisis in the fishing industry, in particular the lobster industry.
So far, the minister has refused. She has refused to show leadership. She has refused to do her job. She has refused to stand up for this $1 billion industry. Lobster prices are at all-time lows, markets are marginalized and thousands of families are without income and facing bleak prospects in the future.
Will the minister meet with those fishing organizations and will she do it now?
Fisheries and Oceans May 13th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, perhaps I should not have taken the minister at her word when she said that there was going to be an ice compensation program and the program was going to be announced. She only said it in the House. Why would anyone take that seriously?
She is the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans who said she would meet with fisheries organizations. She has not met with them.
We are going to bring every fisheries organization to Ottawa. We are asking the minister, will she meet with every fisheries organization from Quebec and Atlantic Canada to talk about the lobster crisis, or if she will not, will she give the keys to her department to someone who will?