Federal Defence Minister Peter MacKay told the press that Atlantic Conservative MPs are pushing for the government to do more to help hard-pressed lobster fishermen. The present situation is not so good for the lobster fishermen as the lobster prices are going down rapidly to $3 a pound on the wharf. As a result many fishermen in Atlantic Canada are tying up their boats rather than going fishing, which is bad news for many communities where lobster is the key catch.
Minister Shea had announced $10 million in help for marketing. MacKay said the Atlantic Tories are pushing for more measures. He added that getting that $10 million out for marketing, and hopefully having another package in the pipeline, is our immediate concern. After much hue and cry the government said that the size of the federal deficit has ballooned to $50 billion and there is no shortage of demands on the treasury right now, which could make it a challenge to get cabinet approval for a bailout for lobster fishermen.
He also told that he’s been considering organizing an event on Parliament Hill to promote lobsters, since many Canadians may not realize what a good deal they are right now. It is said that in P.E.I. fishermen are pushing for a licence buyout, for example, while in Nova Scotia, they’re looking for price support. This is high time that government is doing its best to tackle the problem now, but it could have acted sooner.
