Minister comments on Federal Compensation Plan delays

Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Yvonne Jones today stated "There are serious problems with the Temporary Fisheries Income Program and these concerns have been expressed to the Federal Ministers of Fisheries and Oceans and Human Resources Development Canada, and to the Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. The provincial government is not responsible for delays in the compensation package for those people displaced by the closure of the northern and gulf cod fisheries."

The Temporary Fisheries Income Program, announced by the Federal Government on June 4, 2003, targets fishers and plant workers affected by the cod fishery closures announced on April 24, as well as crab fishers and plant workers affected by the closure of that fishery in Zone 13.

Minister Jones stated that "Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) requested from the province the listing of all fish plants which processed cod and that list was provided. In requesting that information, HRDC advised that the criteria established for this program requires that cod throughput from the closed areas must represent 25 per cent or greater of a plant�s total throughput. The use of this particular rule to determine plant worker eligibility was selected without any consultation with the province. When the federal government was considering whether or not to close this fishery, there was joint agreement on the projected impacts of a closure. A rule to define eligibility based on 25 per cent cod throughput was never discussed and will, in our view, severely limit the number of plant workers deemed eligible and create hardship. As a consequence, the province immediately informed federal officials of its objections to the rule, and the actual practical difficulties in trying to apply it. Provincial data is available only for final plant production, not raw material purchase.

"This is an example of where failure to consult the province has resulted in identification of criteria before determining whether or not they are workable. DFO and HRDC, two federal departments, are responsible for this program and have a responsibility to ensure due diligence when determining the criteria," said Jones. "We indicated to the federal government that we were very prepared to cooperate, but they have not consulted with us on this program. We did provide the information to HRDC of the list of plants; however, it is the responsibility of the federal government to implement its own program.

"Given the seriousness of this matter, the Minister of Human Resources and Employment, Ralph Wiseman, wrote to HRDC Minister Jane Stewart, and I wrote to Minister Thibault expressing grave concerns regarding the criteria established and the ultimate impact on those plant workers requiring immediate assistance. The province is not responsible for the program; however, we have been very cooperative. HRDC has been provided with a list of plants that have processed cod. Furthermore, the Federal government has available to it all the information necessary for HRDC to do its work.

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

2003 07 15                                   4:00 p.m.