Prince Rupert Cannery Closure fight gets online petition

An online petition on the forum Sum of Us
calls for Federal action against Jim Pattison over
moves by Canadian Fish to close Prince Rupert canning lines

It's a grass roots campaign at best, but the quest to draw attention to the plight of Prince Rupert shore workers has made it to the online petition forum Sum of Us.

The entry to the crowded Sun of Us format provides a more global forum to the controversial decision to bring an end to the canning lines at the Oceanside Plant on George Hills Way.

The addition to the fairly hefty roster of online petitions is addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and called for the Government to "revoke the fishing licences from Canfisco and instead give these to local fishermen who will process the salmon locally and create jobs"

Some background to the issue is provided echoing much of what UFAWU/Unifor representatives have been saying since the November 12th announcement from Canadian Fish that they would be closing the canning lines at the Prince Rupert plant.

You can review the Prince Rupert petition here

The first notice of the online petition came through a twitter notice of December 4th posted to the #PrinceRupert thread which introduced the topic, taking the issue to social media and the reach that those portals have today.

The online petition calling attention to the
fish plant issues in Prince Rupert first
appeared through a twitter post on the #PrinceRupert thread

When you sign on to the petition you then will be updated about the status of the campaign and of similar campaigns that might be of interest.

There's a fair bit of competition on the Sum of Us petition portal, with 82 separate pages of petitions currently seeking support and action from those that skim the entries, with a number of topics to look over, with a wide number of issues from around the world making for a good portion of the content.

The concerns of those that have taken to the internet raise awareness range from saving the bees of the world, to stopping oil companies and addressing any number of legislation proposed by Governments, as well there seems to be an a unusually large number of petitions directed towards coffee chains it seems.

It may be a busy time for staff members in the office Prime Minister Trudeau, the Sum of Us home page features a range of petitions directed towards the PM's attention. With the Prince Rupert's issue competing with concerns over the Trans Pacific Partnership, the fight against past Conservative patronage appointments and efforts to save the CBC and Canada Post, to name but a few.

You can find more background on the Canadian Fish plant decision and other fishing issues on the North Coast from our archive page here.