Newfoundland and Labrador MP Scott Simms expressed his concern over WTO subsidies ban which could affect the fishermen of the province. At Doha meeting WTO has proposed to ban fishery subsidies to commercial fishing operations to eliminate overfishing and the depletion of fish stocks. To the Bonavista-Gander-Grand Falls-Windsor MP, right now, banning subsidies translates to eliminating employment insurance benefits for commercial fishermen.
Simms told that they are trying to finalize a deal through the World Trade Organization that all countries will sign onto, and they have something in there called fishing subsidies. He added that they want to eliminate fishing subsidies that increase the amount of fishers because they have to conserve. The proposal states that EI is not bothered but the negotiators said don’t worry about EI because EI is a general programme that won’t be affected. According to Simms EI for fishermen is calculated not on weeks of work, but on the value of their catch and so it is bothering.
Simms said that Canadian officials have not made a formal objection to the proposal. India and Indonesia, he added, have asked for exemptions since they are third-world nations and have all small boats, and Canada has asked for an exemption because it, too, has all small boats. In a statement released by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans said Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade David Emerson both disagree with any WTO proposal to prohibit employment insurance benefits to fishermen.
