Fishing Industry in New Brunswick

Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to the fishing sector workers of the Acadian Peninsula, in New Brunswick.

As we know, following confirmed sightings of right whales in the North Atlantic, the federal government had to make the difficult decision to temporarily close certain fishing areas. On June 11, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans issued a temporary closure notice for 10 fishing zones due to the presence of three right whales off Miscou Island on the Acadian Peninsula.

According to a study published in March 2010 by the economist Pierre-Marcel Desjardins, it is estimated that the lobster sector, on its own, had a $53 million impact on Gloucester County’s gross domestic product, a $264.9 million impact on New Brunswick’s GDP and a $691.6 million impact on the Canadian GDP.

In addition, according to the Maritime Fishermen’s Union, the closing of these zones represents an estimated $3 million loss per day for the industry as a whole.

As you can see, honourable colleagues, this situation is causing major financial uncertainty in a region that is already economically fragile. Retailers, business owners and residents are understandably worried.

Today, I am mainly thinking about factory workers. I am thinking about the women and men who often work in harsh conditions, who live in a precarious situation because of the notorious spring gap, and who depend on this industry to support their families.

Normally, factory workers can work 50-, 60-, even 70-hour work weeks during the fishing season. The income generated by those long hours, coupled with the Employment Insurance they collect during the winter, allows them to support their families.

However, this year, the factory workers had a hard time getting just 30 hours of work per week. Therefore, even if they receive an exemption and qualify for Employment Insurance, they will be greatly affected by the loss of income incurred due to the reduced number of work hours recorded.

This situation is especially difficult for a class of workers who often work in conditions that are harmful to their health.

Journalist Jean-Marc Doiron wrote in the March 8, 2016 edition of the Acadie Nouvelle newspaper, and I quote:

Their hands and feet wet, the workers labour on cement floors for at least 10 hours a day, seven days a week, during peak season.

Arthritis, rheumatism, back and leg problems . . . That is what seafood processing plant workers have to look forward to after a long career in the business.

Most Canadian workers at processing plants are over 50, and most of them are women.

In addition to these difficult working conditions, plant workers on the Acadian peninsula now have to cope with much more uncertainty about their jobs and their ability to accumulate enough weeks to qualify for employment insurance.

Thank you for supporting the working men and women of the Acadian peninsula.