LOWER WEST PUBNICO, N.S. — TINA COMEAU AND NICOLE MUNRO
TRICOUNTY VANGUARD
Amid campaign announcements and campaign media releases, the fisheries are making a splash in the federal election in western Nova Scotia.
On Sunday, Oct. 6, West Nova candidate Chris d'Entremont outlined the Conservatives platform on the fisheries during an announcement event at the Dennis Point Wharf in West Pubnico. It was a long list.
Among the things d'Entremont said a Conservative government would do if elected included:
• Creating advisory panels with fish harvesters, Indigenous groups and other experts to resolve issues;
• Complete new recovery plans for all of Canada's critical fisheries to ensure stocks can be rebuilt and maintained;
• Prioritize critical stock recovery as a focus for DFO science
• Work with industry to develop a strategy for preventing seafood fraud.
• Create a modern aquaculture act.
• To maintain infrastructure and support communities, provide $250 million in additional support for small craft harbours.
• Enhance and rebuild wild Atlantic and Pacific salmon stocks by increasing support for community-led conservation and enhancement projects and increasing the price of the Salmon Conservation Stamp for non-residents to benefit the Pacific Salmon Foundation.
• and, ensure that the voices of coastal communities are not ignored when it comes to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
D'Entremont said is it quite concerning the number of fishermen who do not know about the current proposed MPAs.
It's the issue of MPAs that had caused some of d'Entremont's Liberal opponents to speak about against information he had circulated in a recent media release.
South Shore MP Bernadette Jordan said she’s receiving threats of violence because the Conservative candidate was “spreading misinformation” about the Liberals’ plans for Nova Scotia’s fishing industry.
D’Entremont issued a news release on Sept. 26 claiming the Liberals’ platform promise to protect 25 per cent of Canada’s oceans by 2025 is Justin Trudeau’s “plan to shut down Nova Scotia’s fishing industry.”
Jordan, the Liberal candidate for South Shore-St. Margarets, said “there is absolutely no intention to shut down the fisheries.”
“To say something like that that gets people riled up and angry at me, to the point where I’ve seen online threats of violence toward me, is absolutely uncalled for in an election,” said Jordan.
In an interview on Oct. 2, d’Entremont said the intention behind the release was to “make sure that my electors, my voters, understand what each party is trying to bring forward.”
“I wouldn’t want it go as far as what (Jordan’s) alluding to, but at the same time this is an election period that we’re going to expect some kind of discourse,” he said.
D’Entremont said the Liberals ocean protection plan will create problems and will cause more usage in other areas due to displacement, because they didn’t consult the fishing industry.
“Does that mean they’re going to be moved out of their fishing areas or traditional fishing areas? Some of the maps I’ve seen so far definitely show that,” he said. “MPA can mean a whole bunch of things and it’s the uncertainty that this has created that’s causing a lot of problems.”
He promised the Conservatives would work with the fishing industry as it continues to grow.
Jordan said d’Entremont was using fear and false information about marine protected areas to mislead Nova Scotians.
“This isn’t about closing things off and a MPA doesn’t mean it’s a no-fish zone,” Jordan said. “For example, if you’re protecting a type of eel grass that’s close to shore, it’s not going to affect your lobster fishery. It depends on what it is that you’re protecting.”
Jordan said while she doesn’t know the plan of where the marine protected areas will be, nothing will be done without consulting the fishing industry.
“I hope people recognize that we need to sustain our fishery and that we will continue to do everything we can to make sure that we’re able to do that,” she said.
Jason Deveau, the Liberal candidate for West Nova, also said any suggestion that a Liberal government is looking “to shut down Nova Scotia’s fishing industry," is false and misleading.
"We have seen this sort of misinformation coming from the Conservative Party of Canada in the past; however, I was quite surprised that Mr. d’Entremont would begin to fearmonger on an issue as important as our local fishing industry," he said."It is simply cheap politics to allege that any federal political party would put our local economy at risk."
"We must work together, in consultation with fishers and local communities, to ensure that our fisheries remain viable and sustainable for the long-term, especially when faced with rising sea temperatures as a result of climate change," Deveau said.
He noted the Liberal government has created a $325-million Atlantic Fisheries Fund to encourage innovation within the fishing industry and improve scientific knowledge of our oceans; has successfully negotiated trade deals with the United States, the European Union and Asia-Pacific countries that secures market access for our seafood products; and has invested over $14 million in West Nova alone in our small craft harbours.
At his announcement on Oct. 6, d'Entremont was asked if Marine Protected Areas are a bad thing. He says he worries they can cut down on fishing in areas, saying there are MPAs around the world where you can't do any fishing in them. He's concerned about what will happen in Canada.
"Right now we're talking about 10 percent (planned MPAs) which is creating a lot of discussion amongst fishing groups, the ones that know about it...If you start to stretch that to 25 or 30 per cent, you are going to be taking a fishery away from traditional grounds and even worse, you're going to increase in other areas because you're displacing things to other places."
Kevin Squires, president of Local 6 of the Maritime Fishermen’s Union, said fishers have been discussing marine protected areas for a long time.
“Sure, people have had concerns over the years about marine protected areas,” said Squires. “I’m up in Cape Breton right beside St. Anns Bay, which is a very large one, and there was a lot of concerning press when it was being set up and the management plan was being designed.”
Squires said since the MPA has been established, he hadn’t heard anybody complain about their ability to fish in that area.
"A lot of people are fearful of them, but I think I think if done right, marine protected areas could well help protect our fisheries," he said.
Instead of focusing on marine protected areas, Squires wants candidates to look at how the Fisheries Act will be supported by regulations.
"The timing of this marine protected areas conversation is really interesting," he said. "If these candidates were so concerned, they should've been participating in those discussions and representing the people long before."
