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Gerry Reid, Opposition Fisheries Critic and MHA for the District of
Twillingate and Fogo, says government continued to move forward with
production quotas in the crab industry, despite continued opposition raised
in the House of Assembly during debate on a Private Members Motion this
afternoon. "I raised the problems associated with production quotas for
crab in question period and put forth a resolution for debate this
afternoon," said Reid. "It is inexplicable that the Minister continues to
push forward with an agenda that obviously has no support from the FFAW,
harvesters and plant workers. He is single-handedly creating a cartel in the
fishing industry, something he had vigorously opposed in the past.
"The Dunne report recommended that a raw material sharing system only be
used if and when the concerns and objections of plant workers and harvesters
are addressed. The Minister is inappropriately using the Dunne report as a
basis for legitimizing his manipulation of the crab industry by forcing
production quotas.
"I cannot believe why the Minister and the PC Caucus are forcing this
system down the throats of the workers in this important industry. I have
asked the Minister to commit to honouring his promise to consult with the
FFAW and processors as was recommended in the Dunne report. It is
unfortunate that government is blatantly breaking the promise it made to the
fishing industry and imposing a system that will cause many problems into
the future."
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