FFAW President Keith Sullivan Meets With Minister Leblanc in Ottawa
October 20, 2017
10/20/2017
Earlier this week, FFAW-Unifor President Keith Sullivan travelled to Ottawa to meet with Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Dominic Leblanc, and his key advisors. The meeting was very productive, and the conversation focused on ensuring that inshore owner-operator harvesters have access to our adjacent resources.
We discussed the value of cod from all regions of the province; 3Ps, 4R3Pn and 2J3KL. We also had extensive conversation about the value of recovering species such as red fish and witch flounder. Inshore harvesters have the ability to harvest surf clams and maintain valuable processing jobs in our province, and we reminded the Minister of our position on this topic. Another priority that we raised is the importance of increased access to adjacent fish species such as mackerel, turbot and halibut.
The Minister acknowledges that the fishery is a vital component of the economy in coastal Newfoundland and Labrador, and we remain hopeful that in the future decisions will be influenced by the collective voice of our union.