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Yvonne Jones, MHA for the District of Cartwright-L’Anse au Clair, says
government’s recently announced assistance program to help crab plant
workers will do little to help the majority of affected workers in southern
Labrador. Jones says government must extend the program and make
modifications to ensure that people can receive the necessary work that will
allow them to qualify for Employment Insurance benefits this year. In
addition to this year’s shortened fishing season resulting from the protest
over the implementation of production quotas in the crab industry, plant
workers in southern Labrador have also been impacted by a drastic cut to the
crab quota adjacent to their plants. This has resulted in many crab plants
shutting early and throwing hundreds of people out of work without any
income or means to qualify for Employment Insurance.
"I have witnessed the suffering that is taking place in communities
throughout southern Labrador," said Ms. Jones. "People have no income to buy
groceries or pay their bills, and fear they will have no money to get them
through the winter months. As government’s assistance program currently
stands, most people will not receive enough work to qualify for Employment
Insurance benefits.
"This is more than a dollar and cents issue for the provincial
government, this is a compassion issue. With the introduction of a
production quota system against the wishes of fish harvesters in this
province, government must take some of the responsibility for what has
happened in this year’s fishery. Modifications must be made that will extend
this program to ensure affected individuals qualify for benefits under this
program.
"Minister Byrne said that this proposal was a living document and could
be changed. I encourage him to look at the circumstances of all affected
workers in this province, especially southern Labrador, and make the
appropriate adjustments that will address these concerns. Each region of
this province has unique and different challenges when it comes to the crab
fishery. I would ask the minister to consider these challenges and do the
right thing, improve this program, and ensure that nobody has to suffer from
the unfortunate circumstances that took place in this year’s crab fishery."
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