05/03/2016
ST. JOHN’S, NL – The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor) launched a public relations advertising campaign today as part of ongoing efforts to promote adjacency and rural economic sustainability around the northern shrimp quota and the inshore fishery. The ads will run province-wide and will coincide with the northern shrimp policy review and consultations taking place in the province later this month.
The first in a series of videos was launched today and can be viewed at: www.choosehome.ca
“This review panel is faced with a choice. They can choose to support corporations who will survive no matter what, or they can choose home—the harvesters, plant workers, business owners and entire communities that make up rural Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Keith Sullivan, President of FFAW-Unifor. “This isn’t just about the 3000 direct jobs in the inshore northern shrimp fishery, it’s about the thousands of indirect jobs and the tax base our municipalities rely on. It’s about the local hospitals, schools and small businesses that depend on a strong rural economy.”
The public relations campaign is the next step in FFAW-Unifor’s ongoing efforts to pressure the federal government to abolish the LIFO policy and replace it with fair fisheries management policies that ensure inshore harvesters have access to the resources adjacent to them. Since early March, nearly 10,000 people have signed a petition to the Honourable Hunter Tootoo, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, calling on him to base policies on the principles of historical attachment and adjacency.
“Our campaign will tell the stories of the people who have been impacted by the unfair sharing of the northern shrimp resource. With consultations set to take on the future of the northern shrimp fishery, we need to send a strong message about the value of the inshore fishery to our entire economy,” continued Sullivan. “At a time when our province is facing some significant economic challenges, the fishery represents a bright spot. The inshore fishery can play a critical role in helping Newfoundland and Labrador weather the current fiscal storm, but only if it’s managed right and only if we have access to the resources on our doorstep.”
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Jessica McCormick, FFAW-Unifor Communications Officer
709-576-7276 (office)
jmccormick@ffaw.net