A rift forming between federal and provincial fishery authorities in Canada has continued to deepen, as the two groups clashed at a recent meeting of the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers (CCFAM).
Newfoundland Minister of Fisheries, Forestry, and Agriculture Gerry Byrne, in a statement issued after the CCFAM meeting, said discussions on provincial priorities collapsed. According to Byrne, a proposal supported by all 13 provincial and territorial fisheries ministers to discuss joint management as part of the agenda was not allowed by Canada Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Diane Lebouthillier.
“The federal minister pronounced out loud that any position taken on fisheries matters of national importance with unanimous agreement of all 13 provincial and territorial premiers of Canada is irrelevant to her department and will not be allowed to be discussed in her presence,” Byrne wrote. “The council is our opportunity as ministers to raise concerns and solutions to issues that impact our fisheries and our fish harvesters.”
According to Byrne, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador had asked, and received support from, all 13 provincial and territorial fisheries ministers to discuss joint management as part of the fisheries agenda at the CCFAM meeting. Byrne said the provinces proposed language to include in the CCFAM conference’s concluding communique.
“Ministers brought forward the statement by Canada’s Premiers at the recent Council of the Federation meeting which ‘expressed significant concerns with some of the current management practices of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Greater engagement and collaboration are needed on the management of fisheries resources overseen by the federal government. Premiers support the position of Newfoundland and Labrador that these fisheries be jointly managed and call on the federal government to develop such an approach.’ Ministers requested that discussions be initiated on this statement," Byrne said.
Byrne said that despite unanimous support from all 13 provincial and territorial fisheries ministers, Lebouthillier denied the inclusion of any such language or discussion at the meeting.
“The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard was clear: ...
