CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
Thank you, Eugene, and good evening, everyone.
It’s been a few years since I attended one of your AGMs, and I’m delighted to report the food is better than ever! So, before going any further, my compliments to the chef, and to all the fishermen who helped bring this wonderful bounty to our tables!
Thirty-five years in business is a serious milestone for any organization, but I think the Federation should be particularly proud of its history.
You’ve helped your members weather many storms since 1979.
By providing forums like this one for the exchange of ideas. By giving voice to the many concerns of fish harvest organizations. And — as I’m sure Ministers Colwell, Olscamp and MacKinley will attest — by keeping governments, of all stripes, on their toes.
The Government of Canada is proud to work with groups like the EFF. We firmly believe that industry — and not government — must take the lead on developing solutions to the challenges we face. That said, we are determined to play a supportive role to help build a prosperous and sustainable fishery.
I want to touch on some of these key issues. But first, this being an annual general meeting, let me highlight how the Government of Canada has been working on your behalf over the past year.
Our Government is committed to maximizing the fishery’s economic value, opening new markets and building sustainability. The signature of trade agreements with the European Union and the Republic of Korea will create significant market access opportunities for Canada’s fish and seafood sector by eliminating high tariffs on all fish and seafood products.
This will make our world-class products more competitive and create the conditions for increased sales.
In the first year of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, the lobster industry stands to save $6.7 million. Seven years into the agreement, the last of the tariffs will disappear, and our lobster products can be sold completely duty-free. The long-term benefits of increased exports to Europe mean more jobs, higher wages, and greater prosperity.
In February, we launched Economic Action Plan 2014. Let me highlight several components designed to benefit communities in Atlantic Canada.
As we all know, small craft harbours are the lifeblood of many coastal communities. But many of these harbours need a good overhaul to service the inshore fleet effectively. I’m proud that the most recent federal Budget includes an additional $40 million over two years to speed up repair and maintenance for small craft harbours.
In other major investments, we added a further $15 million to extend Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program until 2016. This is in addition to the $10 million we invested the first year, which brings our total investment in the Partnerships Program to $25 million over three years!
And we are extending the voluntary firefighter tax credit to volunteers in maritime search-and-rescue operations.
Of course, our support for the fisheries didn’t start in last February’s budget. Since 2010, for example, through the Atlantic Lobster Sustainability Measures Program and the Short-Term Transitional Measures Program, our Government has invested more than $65 million in the Atlantic lobster industry.
In fact, we’ve been directing much of our recent efforts towards the lobster industry. I would like to say a few more words about that.
First, let me reaffirm Government’s commitment to the long-term sustainability of the lobster industry. We want to see a thriving fishery that creates jobs and builds prosperity for Atlantic Canadians. And, to make sure that happens, we are determined to help the industry address its challenges.
Of the 33 recommendations made by the Maritime Lobster Panel, 5 pertain directly to my department. I released an initial response to these recommendations in March. In the coming weeks, all relevant lobster fishermen’s associations in Atlantic Canada will be receiving a follow-up letter.
In the meantime, we are taking action. In February, we hired Greg Roach to work with industry on supply issues in Lobster Fishing Area 34, which has close to 1,000 licence-holders and lands the most lobster of any LFA. With Mr. Roach’s support, the LFA 34 Management Board held a vote on whether to shorten the season or reduce the trap limit. In this instance the majority of licence-holders voted to maintain the status quo. While this may not have been the result some were looking for I was pleased to see an orderly and fair process and fishermen had the opportunity to make their own decisions about their industry.
We have also worked with 26B North and 27 fishermen’s organizations and agreed to their carapace size increase request. We are committed to listen to the will of fishermen and their organizations, which these examples clearly show.
The supply glut is an issue that industry continues to grapple with. My department will continue to work with the provinces and industry on the issue to ensure continued success of the Atlantic lobster fishery. But this is an area where we expect that industry will take the lead on making changes.
With respect to other recommendations from the Panel, we are now analyzing reporting requirements across Lobster Fishing Areas. This information will help build the foundation for an effective data collection system for catch and effort. We’re ready to move forward in concert with the provinces as soon as we get the green light from industry.
By the same token, we are open to working with interested harvester organizations. This collaboration could be aimed at helping harvesters play a larger role in resource management. Or it could be about adopting modern approaches to improve economic outcomes. Whatever direction we pursue together, we want industry to be at the tiller.
In the wake of the Panel’s Report, I’m pleased to say the Canadian Independent Fish Harvesters Federation has already taken the bull by the horns. It has set up two meetings to look at several issues, including licensing and how DFO works with individual fleets and harvester organizations.
The first meeting takes place in Halifax in a few weeks with the second to follow in November. My department is happy to participate, and I look forward to making progress on these key priorities.
From my point of view, we’ll be starting from two basic assumptions.
First, the fishing industry faces increasingly intense global competition. To ensure the economic success of our coastal communities, we need a viable inshore sector that can secure and maintain Canada’s place in the global market.
Second, the industry has an aging population. Any solutions to this challenge must address the need for intergenerational transfers. And not just any old transfer, but one that provides both viable retirement options to industry veterans and profitable investment for new entrants. To achieve these objectives, we need creative ideas that enable successful retirement from and entry into the fishery — ideas that do not require intervention or constraints imposed by government.
To that end, Fisheries and Oceans Canada stands ready to work with industry and the provinces to clarify its decision-making process. All we need is a clearly constituted organization with a leadership that can speak legitimately on behalf of its members.
Licensing issues cover a lot of territory. I would not be surprised if the Halifax meeting also looked at the issue of Preserving the Independence of the Inshore Fleet in Canada’s Atlantic Fishery.
Back in 2007, we adopted PIIFCAF to strengthen Owner-Operator and Fleet Separation policies. PIIFCAF required harvesters to declare whether they held licences subject to a controlling agreement. If they did, they had seven years to terminate or amend their agreements to comply with the policy.
Well, the seven years are up, and I’m delighted to say the vast majority has respected the deadline. As I’ve said before, the small percentage of inshore harvesters still in controlling agreements as of April 12th, 2014, will not have their licences renewed. Moving forward, our Government will continue to uphold the Owner-Operator and Fleet Separation policies.
Allow me to briefly mention another licensing issue that’s been on a lot of people’s minds: the shift from over-the-counter to on-line services.
I know some of you miss the old way of doing things, but I do think, in the end, we’ve made the right decision to adapt the way we do business. Our web-based system is open 24 hours a day, which allows fishermen to renew, pay for and print their licences from their homes, or wherever they access the Internet.
Since the online system was launched in April of 2013, some 35,000 harvesters across the country have registered and nearly all core licence holders have now registered as well.
Of course, there are still some aspects of the system to work out. Some services — like new licence requests and transfers — are not yet available. Again, our staff will help you with these transactions until we get them up and running on-line. We expect that will happen later this year.
There are clearly a lot of changes happening, big and small, to the fishing industry in Atlantic Canada. Certainly, the pace of change has quickened since the Federation was formed 35 years ago. But I have every confidence that you can adapt to the challenges you’re facing, as you’ve always done.
And I want to reassure you that our Government is committed to working with you to build a prosperous and sustainable fishery in Atlantic Canada.
Thank you.
