Liberal MPs toe party line after breaking historical agreement on northern cod

Rural Economic Development Minister Gudie Hutchings, a Newfoundland and Labrador MP, was asked at an unrelated media event on Aug. 9 why the federal government chose to prematurely reopen the commercial cod fishery to offshore draggers, breaking a 40-plus year commitment to the province. Her response was that the government has a commitment to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) and that, when the commercial fishery opens, they must give NAFO a cut. This response is openly insensitive, but predictable at this point. There was absolutely no industry or scientific basis for ending the northern cod moratorium, and to say there was consultation or support is both false and disingenuous. Newfoundland and Labrador has seven MPs elected to represent the province in Ottawa. At the time of the June decision, two of those MPs held influential ministerial portfolios, and six were part of the current Liberal government. You would think that so much representation would ensure that our province's best interests would be protected, and our concerns would be championed. Courtney Glode is the director of public affairs for FFAW-Unifor. Photograph courtesy of FFAW-Unifor How very wrong we were. Federal MPs like Hutchings, Seamus O’Regan, Joanne Thompson, Churence Rogers, and Ken McDonald are far more interested in cutting ribbons, and catching every photo-op and barbecue they can muster. They aren’t interested in advocating for the real issues that affect working people in our province. In fact, they’ve proven time and time again that they have no interest in standing up for the sustainability of our adjacent resources, enhancing our socio-economic opportunities, or safeguarding our future. Under Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier, our federal government has given away more than 60 per cent of a new redfish fishery to the corporate dragger fleet, leaving small boat harvesters in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to fail economically. Seasonal workers have been told point-blank by the likes of Hutchings and Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault that no improvements are coming to the antiquated EI system until Canadians re-elect the Liberals in the next federal election. The Canadian federal government is letting offshore draggers back onto the northern cod fishery with a total catch of less than 20,000 tons. To put this into perspective, the quota was 190,000 tons two years before the moratorium was called. Scientists and industry alike have demanded a reversal of the decision, calling Lebouthillier’s call short-sighted, and damaging to the continued rebuilding of the historic stock. That's not to mention the 40-plus-year agreement that promised the first 115,000 metric tons of quota to the small-boat harvesters and Indigenous groups. It was a promise that Trudeau himself had reaffirmed in 2015, and was promised again by his minister in 2021. Despite a federal injunction filed by FFAW-Unifor, NAFO is pushing forward to get the quotas allocated to draggers as soon as possible. Domestic draggers like Ocean Choice International are champing at the bit to get back onto pre-spawning aggregations, aiming to set their fishery for months where fish coalesce for annual breeding activities. Basic critical thinking says this is not the sustainable path to take. It’s not sustainable for the northern cod stock, for inshore, owner-operator vessels, or for coastal communities. Moreover, it sets a dangerous precedent that seeks to disconnect people more and more from the adjacent resources on which they on and care for. It’s heartbreaking to the people who invest their lives in this industry to see it managed so irresponsibly, but legislators like Hutchings and Lebouthillier are evidently more concerned with short-term political gain with offshore lobbyists than upholding best science and policy with integrity. While Hutchings may be “delighted” that Newfoundland and Labrador fishery workers have been brazenly wronged, the people of our province will be sure to remember it come next election time. Courtney Glode is the director of public affairs for Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union where she has championed the causes of more than 14,000 members in Newfoundland and Labrador’s inshore fishery since 2013. The Hill Times

Liberal MPs toe party line after breaking historical agreement on northern cod

Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal MPs have proven yet again that they have no interest in standing up for the sustainability of the province's adjacent resources, enhancing its socio-economic opportunities, or safeguarding its future.

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Liberal MPs toe party line after breaking historical agreement on northern cod

Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal MPs have proven yet again that they have no interest in standing up for the sustainability of the province's adjacent resources, enhancing its socio-economic opportunities, or safeguarding its future.

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