Opposition Leader and MHA for the District of Cartwright L’Anse au Clair, Yvonne Jones, is calling upon the premier to appoint a full-time minister to the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture to prevent further neglect of the fishing industry of the province.

"With an overall production and landed value last year of $1.5 billion, the fishery is still an important part of the economy of this province," says Jones. "While some sectors of the fishing industry continue to perform well, there are still many challenges ahead such as in the sealing industry, the cod fishery and the food fishery, as well as those related to early retirement for older workers.

"As a former minister of fisheries, I am aware of the duties and responsibilities of this department. Even as a full- time minister, it is difficult to meet all of the demands; however, being part-time is a clear injustice to the department and to the industry. The industry and the people who look to it for a livelihood will suffer and we can’t afford to allow that to happen."

The Liberal Leader also noted that the Williams’ government has a poor track record when it comes to the fishery. "In 2005, the premier and then Minister of Fisheries Trevor Taylor, forced Raw Material Sharing upon fisherman, which led to an unfortunate disruption in the industry, as well as heated debates inside and outside the House of Assembly. Another example of this government’s failure to deal with fishery issues is the much-hyped fishery summit hosted by the premier in 2006. The summit was just another public relations exercise by the premier with no significant outcome.

"Since day one, this government has failed to focus on this industry; but it is never too late to come forward with a long-term plan that gives the industry solid direction for the future. The first step is to appoint a full- time minister.

The fishery post has not had a full-time minister since the hasty resignation and departure of Tom Rideout from cabinet in May of this year, following a public disagreement with the premier and other members of cabinet.