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Opposition Leader Gerry Reid says when it comes to the fishery, Premier
Danny Williams and his government have been a complete and dismal failure.
Earlier today, government released a discussion paper on the renewal of
the fishing industry in the province. This was on the heels of another
discussion period that took place at the Premier’s fishery summit and over
the past six months. That discussion period was preceded by three years of
so-called discussion with the industry on what needed to be done to address
problems.
"It is obvious that this government has absolutely no idea what to do
with the fishery of our province," said Mr. Reid. "In Opposition, the
premier said he had a plan to revitalize the fishery, but we have witnessed
absolutely nothing. The only thing we continuously hear and see is the need
for consultation and discussion reports that have achieved absolutely
nothing. I suggest this most recent discussion paper is just another
delaying tactic so that the government doesn’t have to make any decisions
until after the next election.
"Three years into this government’s mandate, they are only now bringing
forth a discussion paper. Meanwhile, we already witnessed the forced
implementation of a Raw Material Sharing system that tore the guts out of
our crab sector, the closure of plants and decimation of entire regions of
our province, the value of the fishery being cut in half, and we have a
premier telling plant workers to take a wage rollback. Obviously the actions
of a government that has no understanding of the fishery of Newfoundland and
Labrador.
"While I support the concept of consultation, this is a recurring theme
of this government. They refuse to make decisions and instead initiate
reports, discussion groups, and reviews to alleviate public pressure and
give the impression they are doing something. I suggest the premier ask the
15,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who just left the province if they
believe these stalling tactics are working. I also fear thousands more will
be gone before we see any type of plan from this government on the future of
our fishing industry."
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