Prince Edward Island fisheries minister Jim Bagnall today expressed frustration and disappointment that consideration of the proposed new federal Fisheries Act has been delayed by the House of Commons. On Friday, the House of Commons voted against giving the bill second reading and sending it to the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans for further consideration.
“The modernization of Canada’s fisheries legislation is long overdue, and the proposed new act would bring the legislation closer in line with the realities of today’s fishing industry,” said Mr. Bagnall. “I am very disappointed that the opposition has put narrow partisan considerations ahead of the interests of Canada’s fishery.”
Mr. Bagnall said he is hoping that Prince Edward Island’s four Members of Parliament will support the bill, given its importance to the province’s $350 million fishing and processing industry. He said the bill, among other things, would provide for more input to decision-making by provincial governments and the industry, establish more stringent enforcement and encourage more sustainable fishing practices.
“While I recognize that there are some concerns with certain proposals contained in the new Fisheries Act, I am confident these would be fully addressed during consultations by the Standing Committee,” said Mr. Bagnall. “There are a number of longstanding issues which could have been resolved by the new legislation, and we are now left in limbo as a result of the obstruction in the House of Commons.”
Mr. Bagnall said that federal Fisheries and Oceans Loyola Hearn has demonstrated his willingness to work with the industry and with other levels of government, and has accomplished more in a year than had been achieved in the past decade under previous ministers of fisheries. “As a result of the strong initiatives of Minister Hearn, for example, fishers in Canada now enjoy for the first time an exemption in capital gains when they sell their enterprises,” he said. The Canada Customs and Revenue Agency has just recently formally adopted proposals from the last federal budget that would provide a $500,000 capital gains exemption when assets are sold outside the fishing family, and an unlimited exemption when they are sold to family members.
Mr. Bagnall said it is most unfortunate that these kinds of initiatives are being obstructed by purely partisan motivations. “Canada’s fishing industry needs to keep abreast with our international competitors, and we need to ensure that our fisheries legislation is modernized to ensure its sustainable development,” he said.