Be it resolved by the
House of Assembly as follows:
WHEREAS the seacoast
fisheries of Newfoundland and Labrador were brought into this nation with
Newfoundland and Labrador�s accession to Canada;
AND WHEREAS the Government
of the Dominion of Newfoundland held and exercised responsibility for the
management of seacoast fisheries prior to Confederation;
AND WHEREAS the Constitution
Act, 1867 vests in the Government of Canada exclusive authority over
the fishery;
AND WHEREAS under
current International Law an independent Newfoundland and Labrador would
control its adjacent resources including the fishery;
AND WHEREAS federal
management of seacoast fisheries since 1949 has failed to adequately
protect or develop the principal fisheries adjacent to Newfoundland and
Labrador;
AND WHEREAS failed federal
fisheries management has led to the complete collapse of the Northern Cod
fishery and other ground fish stocks, the basis for Newfoundland�s
colonization and the mainstay of its economy for 500 years;
AND WHEREAS the federal
government has failed to adopt a comprehensive plan for stock recovery
since the groundfish moratoria were declared in the early 1990s;
AND WHEREAS it is
recognized and accepted that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
has maintained and continues to exercise primary regulatory authority over
the fish processing industry in this Province;
AND WHEREAS new fisheries
for species such as crab and shrimp have developed in the wake of the
collapse of ground fish stocks and solid, sustainable management practices
are vital to the future of these fisheries;
AND WHEREAS it is accepted
that the regulation of fish harvesting and processing should occur in a
seamless and integrated way;
AND WHEREAS the
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has consistently requested a
greater say in fisheries management since 1949 and has identified this as
a priority in Securing our Future: The Renewal Strategy for Jobs and
Growth;
AND WHEREAS the fishery
remains an economic mainstay and principal industry of Newfoundland and
Labrador and the economic and social foundation of most of its rural
communities;
AND WHEREAS federal
management of fisheries adjacent to Newfoundland and Labrador does not
give due regard to local experience and considerations;
AND WHEREAS the advice of
the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council (FRCC), which was established
to integrate practical knowledge derived from local experience and
scientific information on resources, has been largely ignored in the
federal government�s recent declaration of a moratorium for 4RS3Pn Gulf
cod;
AND WHEREAS the recent
decisions of the Government of Canada on 2J3KL Northern Cod and 4RS3Pn
Gulf cod were undertaken without proper consultation with the Government
of Newfoundland and Labrador and the people who depend upon these
resources and with disregard for the recommendations of the Fisheries
Resource Conservation Council;
AND WHEREAS these decisions
have further undermined the confidence of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians
in the effectiveness of federal fisheries management;
AND WHEREAS other provinces
control their main resource industries;
AND WHEREAS significant and
decisive action is required to address this concern;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED
THAT this House call on the Government of Canada and direct the Government
of Newfoundland and Labrador to begin negotiations leading to the
establishment of a joint management regime over the fisheries adjacent to
Newfoundland and Labrador;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED
that the principal elements of such a joint management regime include
(1) the establishment,
through an amendment of the Terms of Union, of shared, equal,
constitutional authority by the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and
Canada over the fisheries adjacent to the province;
(2) the establishment
through an amendment of the Terms of Union of a joint fisheries management
board and the delegation to that board by the governments of Newfoundland
and Labrador and Canada of sufficient of their authority to permit that
board to successfully implement this joint management regime.
(3) the development and
implementation of a conservation and re-building plan aimed at the
achievement of long-term sustainability of the fisheries in the waters
adjacent to Newfoundland and Labrador and in particular a plan that would
achieve the recovery of the ground fish stocks;
(4) the development and
implementation of fisheries harvesting plans, including the establishment
of Total Allowable Catches, based on the principles of conservation,
sustainability, adjacency and the long-term well-being of the fishing
communities of rural Newfoundland and Labrador;
(5) the establishment of programs in
Newfoundland and Labrador to enhance knowledge and understanding of the
ocean ecosystems adjacent to Newfoundland and Labrador through the
encouragement and support of scientific research and the utilization of
customary and experiential knowledge of the fisheries possessed by fish
harvesters.
