NDP MP's renew call for action on Pacific Fishery issues in committee and in the House

Themes of the West Coast Fishery made for discussion at
a pair of venues in the national capital today

Two NDP Members of Parliament have continued to take the call for action on the Pacific Fishery to the government, with Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach and Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP Lisa Marie Barron took a two prong approach to fisheries issues today.

Mr. Bachrach took the topic to the Fisheries Minister in a Committee session calling for the government to address the issue of Employment Insurance refusals, which have left a large number of North Coast fishery participants without compensation.

"Now after the most recent fishing season, fish harvesters on the West coast, hundreds and hundreds of them applied for the EI fishing benefit, based on the criteria on the government's website. Now after they applied it seems that the criteria on the website were  changed and now ESBC is rejecting all of their applications,.

Now I've spoken with the Fishermen's Union, I've spoken with the Unemployed Action Centre in Prince Rupert, these are organizations that have worked for decades with fish harvesters to help them apply for benefits, they understand the criteria in detail.

They're baffled as to what's happening here, and they've tried to engage both with your department and ESBC repeatedly and heard nothing back"

Federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray at today's 
Committee Session

Of note from the exchange, the Minister did not seem to be quite up to speed on the topic of the discussion, seemingly confusing the fish harvester benefits with those available as part of the Employment Insurance benefits program.  

Something which Mr. Bachrach urged her to explore further, take up with EI officials and get back to the union officials and other stakeholders on the North Coast.

 "So I encourage you to talk to the department officials and figure this out as quickly as possible, especially to get back to the parties that have been requesting engagement on this issue. That's the really frustration here, there's radio silence. Your department is not getting back to the Fishermen's union and to the advocates" -- MP Taylor Bachrach in committee session today

Ms. Barron also raised concerns over the Pacific Fishery to the House of Commons his morning with questions on the topic. Recounting once again of the ongoing concern over Alaskan harvesting of British Columbia bound salmon.

More notes on the BC Fishery can be explored from our archive page.

A look at the work of the Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP in the House of Commons and across the constituency can be reviewed here.