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April 1, 1998
(Development and Rural Renewal)


The following statement, on a TAGS replacement program, was issued today by Beaton Tulk, Minister of Development and Rural Renewal and Chair of the Cabinet Committee on Rural Revitilization. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

I have written all federal cabinet ministers and all the Members of Parliament from Atlantic Canada and Quebec to impress upon them the importance of a TAGS replacement program. As the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture informed this House on March 23, the province intends to remain cooperative in providing advice on the appropriate structure for a replacement program, but we must impress upon the federal government its responsibility for the resolution of the crisis created in Newfoundland and Labrador, and indeed in Atlantic Canada as a whole, as the result of the groundfish collapse.

Simply put, families and communities in Newfoundland and Labrador are in crisis. Independent, objective reviews of the impacts of the groundfish closures, including the Harrigan Report and the Commons Standing Committee Report, have clearly documented the enormous impacts on rural areas of the province in particular. Out-migration and erosion of the tax base is threatening the survival of many of our rural communities.

Clearly the post TAGS challenge is a federal responsibility. It is equally clear, as documented by Harrigan and the Standing Committee in the House of Commons, that the post TAGS problem is of extraordinary dimension that cannot be adequately addressed through normal programming.

TAGS is also critically important to the provincial economy as a whole - not just to those people directly affected by the moratorium.In relative terms the lost employment is equivalent to the loss in;

  • Nova Scotia of an industry nearly double the size of the defence industry;

  • Ontario of an industry twice the size of the automobile industry;

  • Alberta of the entire oil and gas industry; or- British Columbia of the entire forest industry.

A new multi-faceted program is needed to address the post-TAGS challenge. The old program did not work and this is not the fault of the individuals or communities affected. The province will continue to press the federal government to discharge its responsibility and will be a strong advocate on behalf of those affected by the moratorium.

This is a national problem impacting all of Atlantic Canada - not just a Newfoundland and Labrador issue. People are becoming very anxious as the termination of TAGS gets nearer and as more and more people exhaust their benefits. It is our view that the federal government needs to act sooner rather than later in finalizing and announcing a post-TAGS initiative. It is not in the interest of anyone to wait until the expiry of the existing program in August before details on a new program are revealed.

1998 04 01 2:20 p.m.

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