The Honourable Tom Hedderson, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, answer the unfair criticism by the Fish Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) of a Provincial Government program that provides a very high level of support to the fishing industry. On the request of the FFAW the Provincial Government has developed the recently announced Community Enhancement Employment Program (CEEP).
It is said that this program will cost the province up to $6 million, which is more than 50 per cent of the total budget for such programs that address all industries. Minister Hedderson told that the criticism on the part of the FFAW is unfair given the level of investment on the part of our government. He further said that it is a very generous program that responds to the issues that were brought to our government by the FFAW.
The Provincial Government has modified the program to ensure that harvesters are able to participate on the same basis as other workers. It is opined that this program is not meant to necessarily maintain the levels of income that harvesters would ordinarily receive. It is meant to ensure that workers have an opportunity to qualify for EI and ensure that they will have an income throughout the year.
The FFAW has criticized the province for a slow response time with this program. However, the Provincial Government responded to harvesters in a much more timely manner than the Federal Government, which has taken a number of months. The Williams Government has demonstrated a high level of commitment to the province’s fishing industry through substantially increased investment and development programs that address the long-term structural issues in the industry.
