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to the Maritime Fishermen’s Union February 13, 2000 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
INTRODUCTION Thank you for the warm introduction and thank you for inviting me to your conference. This is my first occasion to address you as a group all together in the same room. I welcome the opportunity to share some thoughts with you on the future of the fishery, and to get your own views. Your executive and president, Frank McLaughlin, have already been a source of information and advice on many occasions. You are key stakeholders and your opinions are important to me. The Maritime Fishermen’s Union (MFU) has a distinguished history. You were one of the first major organizations on the East coast to unite fishermen. You gave them a voice. They now have a say in things that affect their livelihoods. They have a say in fisheries policy. You have done groundbreaking work on developing professional, bona fide status for your members. Indeed, it is only fair to recognize that today’s licencing system closely reflects your important early work to develop an orderly and regulated fishery. I know that I can rely on your continued leadership, and I look forward to hearing from all of you. MY VISION Many of you have been in the fishery for decades. I have been Minister of Fisheries and Oceans for a little more than six months. So I don’t pretend to be an expert. But I do have some basic ideas. First, I want to see a fishery for the 21st century that will conserve the resource while developing new and innovative economic opportunities for Canadians and others around the world. Second, I see Canada as a leader on the world stage. This country should lead the global community in sustainable development, in protecting the richness of our oceans’ resources for generations to come. I would like to commend the MFU for being a partner in last summer’s international symposium dealing with sustainable management of fisheries and attended by 17 different Francophonie countries. Finally, here at home, I want to strengthen core departmental programs that are of vital importance to you and all Canadians. We in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans want to work with you to develop practical ways to bring this vision to life. ATLANTIC POLICY REVIEW This includes the Atlantic Fisheries Policy Review process. As you know, Mike Belliveau is a member of the External Advisory Board that assists in this process. The purpose of this policy review is to work together with stakeholders to establish a set of principles to guide fisheries management on the East Coast for the long term. I want the Fishery of the Future to increase the role of all participants in the decision-making process. Together, we can build a fishery that is anchored in conservation and centered on cooperative management. I want to emphasize that this policy review process will be open and transparent. We are planning to distribute a discussion document this spring, followed by extensive public consultations. This is your opportunity to say what direction you believe the fishery should move in. I urge the MFU to continue its important leadership role in contributing to this policy review. My intention is to manage the fishery with conservation and with a bigger voice for participants. We need to start this journey to change our fishery, not in the future, but now. You have helped set fishery policy in the past, and you will have the opportunity to provide input into this policy review process. I know that I can count on your continued leadership today. PROFESSIONALIZATION I will mention a prime example. The MFU has led in developing a professionalization model for the Southern Gulf. I strongly support professionalization in the harvesting sector. Issues such as enhanced marine safety, the requirements of selective fishing, and the need for improved products are all compelling reasons for establishing a regime to certify harvesters as professionals. I appreciate the key role you are playing in developing professionalization standards, in collaboration with members of the industry and provincial governments. The introduction of professionalization regimes across Canada will be an important step towards better skilled fishers and crews. We have been working closely with you and other organizations in the Southern Gulf to develop a model which will see the registration of fishers become the responsibility of you, the industry. We have already made good progress. However, there are still some loose ends. I welcome this initiative and I have asked my Deputy Minister to put a priority on this file. To that effect, the Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Oceans was in touch with Mike Belliveau this past week on this initiative. We will continue to work together and hope to conclude an arrangement which allows this initiative to move forward in the near future. Further to the theme of a professional and responsible fishery, I would also like to mention that nominations have been called for the first annual national awards for responsible fishing, the Romeo LeBlanc Medal. As you know, the Right Honourable Romeo LeBlanc has a long history of involvement in the fishery, including with the MFU which was founded at around the same time that he was Canada’s fisheries minister. I am pleased that, as Governor General, M. LeBlanc lent his support to what I am sure will become an important and prestigious recognition of excellence in the Canadian fishing community. UPDATE ON THE MARSHALL DECISION I know there’s another issue on everybody’s mind: the integration of Aboriginal people into the Atlantic Fishery. The first major challenge I faced in this portfolio was the aftermath of the Supreme Court Decision on Marshall. I had many critics at the time but also many allies and I would like to count you and your executive in my corner. Indeed, in the week following the September 17 decision by the Supreme Court, I met some of your executive in Ottawa. And in the first week of October, I traveled here to Moncton to meet again with the MFU, specifically on Marshall. I met your executive recently in early December. I also spoke many times on the phone with Mike Belliveau and Frank McLaughlin. Just before my speech, I had lunch with your Board of Directors. Your advice was and continues to be an important part of this process. Let me tell you that throughout this process your executive has been very vocal in representing your interests to me. Equally, I count on Aboriginal people to help work out a long-term solution that will accommodate everyone in the fishery. Let me address the situation point by point. First of all, we have the Supreme Court decision, which means it is the law of the land. I want to repeat very clearly that the basic principles of the Marshall decision must and will be respected. There will be a shared fishery but also a regulated fishery. We all must live with that decision; and we all can live with it. For the Aboriginal people, it means new recognition and new opportunities. For commercial fishermen, it means change. It also means uncertainty and in some cases, fear of the unknown. And no doubt some of you are wondering: what is DFO doing about all that? Our job is to set up interim fishing arrangements for this year, while the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND) deals with the longer-term process. But let me assure you that DFO will continue to be involved in matters as they relate to fisheries. So, how are we approaching this? First of all, we’re listening to your views. We have appointed Gilles ThŽriault as the Assistant Federal Representative. He is discussing the situation with fishermen, and reporting back to the Chief Federal Representative, James MacKenzie, who has also met with non-native fishermen. And M. ThŽriault tells us that there remain apprehensions, but that there is considerable common ground and positive potential. Fishermen expressed concerns about being dislocated and about conservation. They suggested that to make room for Aboriginal people without damaging fish stocks, we should rely on voluntary licence retirement. I heard you, and that is exactly what we are doing, full speed ahead; and we have many applications from fishermen wanting to retire boats and licences at fair market value. Fishermen made clear their concerns about conservation and enforcement in general. That is a major element of negotiations. Fishermen have generously suggested ways that they could contribute to mentoring and training Aboriginal persons to take part in the commercial fishery. You are the fishing experts. And there again, we are trying to work out arrangements. Fishermen also said they wanted Aboriginal commercial fishermen to fish the same seasons and under the same conditions as non-Aboriginal fishermen. We have included this as part of negotiations. Finally, fishermen stated their concerns about the native food fishery. We have made that an issue as well in our negotiations. Let me add that the Aboriginal people, for their part, have consistently spoken out for conservation. I believe that negotiations are going well. I’m optimistic, but I also have to be realistic. I do not promise that every community will have a fishing agreement by season opening. But I expect that the framework will be in place. We will have more Aboriginal participation; and we will have a regulated fishery with clear conservation rules. And what is your role in adjusting to the Marshall decision? It is what you have always done – show leadership for the betterment of ordinary people. You have an important role to play in helping to integrate Aboriginal people into the fishery. They will be an important part of the fishery. Despite the uncertainty we currently face, we all have an interest in building bridges and continuing to work together. We need to face the future by focussing on the realities and priorities before us. Four hundred years ago, the Native people made room for Europeans in this land. And then this great country made room for immigrants from all over the world - just like me. Today it is up to us, in this room, to help continue Canada’s tradition of making reasonable room for one another, and providing opportunity for all. The goals of aboriginals and non-aboriginals are the same: We all want sustainable jobs and a sustainable resource. In your individual communities you have lived in peace for generations, and I want that to continue. Because continued prosperity can only be sustained through peaceful co-existence. May we all continue to show neighbourliness and support for one another, talk to one another, seek understanding, be accommodating – in a word, let us approach this difficult issue as communities united by a common interest in fairness, equitable sharing, and proper regulation of fisheries resources. And I am not just addressing you, the inshore fishermen. Many others in the industry must do their part to achieve an inclusive and peaceful sharing of the resource. I can understand, as a former businessman, how hard it is to live with uncertainty. I understand that when you don’t know all the answers it is too easy to anticipate the worst. That is why I ask you to continue showing patience and understanding. You have an important role to play in promoting a climate of reconciliation and dialogue, and in helping to integrate Aboriginal people into the fishery of the future – a stronger and a better fishery for all. Marshall is a challenge for me but also for you. Therefore, I invite you to show leadership in your communities in order to have peaceful solutions through cooperation and dialogue. CONCLUSION Canada is my family’s adopted country and I have always admired how such a diverse population in such a vast land has become a world leader. The fishery was this country’s first industry. And you who work on the water have often shown qualities of courage, self-reliance, and mutual aid that could serve as a model to others. I know there are always problems in some part of the fishery. Fisheries are cyclical. There are good years and not-so-good years. But in many areas, people have actually done quite well in the past decade. You have enjoyed high landings and relatively high returns on lobster, the best years in a long time in fact. But this historic industry faces new challenges – challenges we can overcome, as you have done so often in the past. It is an industry in transition but for that reason there is opportunity. We must work together to make sure that change is change for the better. I am counting on all of you here today to face today’s challenges together, and to work together with us in DFO. I believe that this is the way to convert the doubt that you and your families face into opportunity and certainty for all. I look forward to meeting with you in the coming months. In the spring and summer, I want to go out in the field and meet with you where you work. I want to visit your boats, your harbours, have a coffee and talk about the issues that you face everyday. Thank you. |