MEDIA RELEASE: All NL Liberal MPs Supported Breaking Historical Agreement for Northern Cod, Injunction Documents Show

ST. JOHN’S, NL – Documents submitted by the Government of Canada as part of the federal injunction filed by FFAW-Unifor in July show that all Liberal MPs in the province supported breaking the longstanding agreement on Northern cod to allow offshore draggers access while the stock remains in the cautious zone.

“Documents are quickly coming in from DFO staffers via the federal court process. What we’ve seen thus far is a Liberal caucus of NL politicians who supported breaking the 40-plus year agreement to our province – and while it’s certainly not shocking at this point, it should be a real eye opener to the people of our province who elected these individuals to office,” says FFAW-Unifor Greg Pretty.

The injunction filed by the Union in July aims to halt the decision and ensure inshore fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador are protected – despite the failure of representation by MP’s like Gudie Hutchings, Seamus O’Regan, Joanne Thompson, Churence Rogers, Yvonne Jones, and Ken McDonald. By lifting the 32-year moratorium on commercial fishing on June 26, 2024, the Government of Canada is further corporatizing public resources, limiting the economic sustainability of coastal communities, and breaking a decades long promise to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

“The 115,000mt commitment is historically referenced dozens of times; as recently as in the 2021 management plan for 2J3KL Groundfish as well as in a 2015 letter from Justin Trudeau, and as early as 1982 with the Kirby Report and then-Fisheries Minister, Romeo LeBlanc,” Pretty explains. “Specifically, the promise was that the first 115,000mt of 2J3KL Northern cod quota would be allocated only to inshore and Indigenous groups, before offshore/corporate groups gained access. This was to reflect the economic and historical dependency the inshore fleet has on the resource, which is repeatedly cited by the federal government pre-1982.”

“The court documents show 6 MP’s in lockstep betrayal of harvesters, plant workers, and every fishing community in our Province. A cowardly show of contempt for workers will that be long remembered,” concludes Pretty.

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CLICK HERE TO VIEW ORIGINAL COURT DOCUMENT (*DOCUMENT IS IN FRENCH)