Minister reiterates province's position on IPAC report

Gerry Reid, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, today met with federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Robert Thibault, and his Atlantic Canadian colleagues at the Atlantic Canadian Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers (ACFAM) meeting in Halifax.

"There were two agenda items at today's meeting including an update of the Atlantic Fisheries Policy Review," said Reid. "The main agenda item, however, was the report from the Independent Panel on Access Criteria (IPAC), which was presented to Minister Thibault in April. My colleagues and I had a full and open discussion with the minister on the report, and I had an opportunity to reiterate the province's position."

The panel was established by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to study access criteria for the Atlantic provinces as it relates to fishery resources. IPAC commenced their work in June 2001, and had representation from other Atlantic provinces, industry groups and stakeholders. The final report includes, among other items, a recommendation for an Atlantic-wide Access Advisory Board, and identifies equity as an access principle.

"We, as a province, are very concerned about the use of equity as an access principle, and are fearful that it may erode the rights of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians," added Reid. "Today, I restated our position that adjacency should be the primary consideration in determining access criteria. Anything less will be unacceptable to the province."

Minister Thibault will further consider the views put forward by the provinces, and will make a decision regarding the acceptability of the report later this year.

"We will have an opportunity to present our final recommendations to Minister Thibault, prior to his taking a final decision on the report," said Reid. "While we are willing to work constructively with the federal government on this issue, we will not compromise our fundamental position that fisheries resources adjacent to Newfoundland and Labrador must be allocated so as to provide maximum benefit to the people and communities of this province."

The provinces and territories have been instructed to make final submissions to DFO by the end of July 2002. Minister Reid will continue to consult with the Fisheries Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (FANL) and the Fish, Food, and Allied Workers (FFAW) in preparation for the province's final submission.

Media contact: Elizabeth Matthews, Communications, (709) 729-3733, or (709) 727-3438.

2002 06 18                               1:55 p.m.