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Opposition Leader Gerry Reid says he is very disappointed that government
would not support a motion to hold an emergency debate on Fishery Products
International (FPI) in the House of Assembly this afternoon. "Today was an
ideal opportunity to debate the future of FPI in our province," said Mr.
Reid. "Unfortunately, government proved once again that they are only
willing to pay lip service to this issue. When it actually comes to action,
this government puts their collective heads in the sand and pretends that
all is well in the province. I can tell the premier that all is not well in
this province and unless something is done quickly, the future of many rural
communities will remain uncertain.
"The premier and minister of fisheries have stated for the past several
months that they are contemplating changes to the FPI Act that will protect
workers. We have still not seen these amendments and no time lines have been
established to address these legislative changes. The minister of fisheries
also stated several weeks ago that FPI broke the law by shipping unprocessed
fish to China and they would be charged. Even though the minister verbally
convicted the company, no charges have been laid and every day there is a
new excuse as to why the investigation isn’t completed. It appears this
government has no idea what they are doing on this issue.
"While government drags its heels, communities such as Fortune, Harbour
Breton and Marystown hang in the balance. FPI has now begun the process of
trying to strip the contracts of its employees, and government says a debate
is unwarranted on this very important issue. I find it very difficult to
understand their logic.
"It is time for the premier to stop stalling on this issue. Everyone
knows he is limited in his knowledge of the fishery, but the time has come
to stand up for the people he represents. If this lack of action continues
much longer, it will be the FPI employees and entire communities who will
suffer in the end."
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