Mulcair commitments to benefit members of FFAW-Unifor
September 21, 2015
09/21/2015
Yesterday in St. John’s, Federal NDP Leader Tom Mulcair made commitments that will significantly and positively impact many members of FFAW Unifor and the coastal communities where they live.
If elected Prime Minister, Mr. Mulcair committed to fixing the controversial LIFO (Last-In First-Out) policy applied with respect to shrimp quota allocations. The policy, if not fixed, will cost nearly 3,000 direct jobs in coastal communities throughout the province.
The NDP leader said he would ensure fairness and take into consideration the thousands of people who rely on this resource for their livelihood.
In addition, Mr. Mulcair also reiterated his party’s commitment to restore critical Coast Guard services that were cut under the federal Conservative government, including reinstating the search and rescue sub-centre in St. John’s, ensuring a 30 minute “Wheels-up” response time for marine rescue, as well as reinstating the Coast Guard communications centres in St. John’s and in St. Anthony.
Mr. Mulcair also committed to removing the oil from the sunken paper carrier Manolis L, which is slowly leaking oil into Notre Dame Bay near Change Islands. The current cofferdam solution has not been successful in containing the oil, and a permanent solution is desperately needed.
All of these issues are critically important to fish harvesters, plant workers, and those who work on the sea as well as for our environment and coastal communities.
FFAW-Unifor Secretary Treasurer David Decker said ensuring the shrimp fishery is fairly managed will not only protect thousands of harvesting and plant work jobs, but will also have a significant economic impact for communities across the province.
The FFAW has been meeting with federal candidates in the past number of weeks and these issues, among others, were top priorities the Union requested be addressed by party leaders.
“We were very pleased to hear the NDP’s assurances at the rally in St. John’s yesterday. Should Mr. Mulcair be successful in the October election, the FFAW will ensure these issues remain a priority for the elected government. We look forward to hearing more from Mr. Mulcair and other party leaders in the coming weeks as the federal election approaches,” said Mr. Decker.
For media inquiries, please call Courtney Pelley at 743-4445 or email cpelley@ffaw.net