Federal government is ready to give financial supports to the hard hitting lobster fishing communities in Atlantic Canada and Quebec. The government is said to provide $10 million to be provided to Atlantic Canada and Quebec through the Community Adjustment Fund. Fisheries Minister Gail Shea said that there is no question that the global recession has taken a toll on Eastern Canada’s lobster fishery.
She also told that she understand all too well the kinds of strains that the collapse in lobster prices is putting on workers and families in our province and region. The Community Adjustment Fund is specifically designed to help those who are hardest hit seize new economic opportunities so they can weather this economic storm.
It is informed that the Harper government is directing $10 million from the CAF to improve marketing, assist in innovation, and develop products and technologies. The funding will be provided from the Community Adjustment Fund (CAF), through ACOA and CED-Q (Economic Development for Quebec Regions), for the marketing and promotion of lobster.
Keith Ashfield, the minister responsible for ACOA, opined that this program is designed to target the hardest hit industries and communities throughout Atlantic Canada. He further said that their top priority is now to ensure this money flows to the people who need it as quickly and efficiently as possible.
