Who closed the fishery?

Yvonne Jones, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, is calling on Gerry Byrne, Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), to advise the people of the province exactly who closed the fishery. Media reports state that Minister Byrne is now claiming that neither he nor federal fisheries Minister Robert Thibault wanted to see the fishery closed.

"In recent meetings in Ottawa the province was repeatedly told that Thursday�s decision to close the fisheries was made by Minister Thibault after consultations with regional Minister Gerry Byrne," said Minister Jones. "If neither Minister Byrne nor Minister Thibault wanted to close these fisheries, it is incumbent upon Minister Byrne to tell the people of our province exactly who made the decision to close the fisheries"

"It is now obvious that if Ministers Byrne and Thibault were able to make the decision that they made, they also have the authority to reverse the decision. Mr. Thibault and Mr. Byrne could have followed the recommendations of the All-Party Committee and the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council (FRCC) and the fisheries would not have closed."

The provincial government calls upon Minister Byrne to provide a full accounting of his action and the actions of Minister Thibault leading up to Thursday�s decision, and to provide specifics on exactly who overruled their decision to keep these fisheries open.

"The welfare of our people and the future of communities in the province are seriously jeopardize as a result of this decision to close the fishery," said Minister Jones. "The provincial government and the people of the province expect accountability from our federal cabinet ministers and full explanation of their actions."

Media contact: Cynthia Laden-Barron, Communications, (709) 729-3733.

2003 05 01                                         12:15 p.m.