Another big promise from the NDPs came out this week: if elected, they plan to “revitalize the fishery industry and to help make life better for the fish harvesters.”

“The moratorium on fishing the northern cod stock resulted in the largest industrial layoff in Canadian history,” says NDP leader Earle McCurdy. “The province has been out of the cod selling business for 20 years. It’s time to get back into the cod fishery business.”

The NDP’s plan would:

  • Develop an provincial Seafood Branding and Marketing Council to help seafood companies develop and execute marketing strategies.
  • Make FTNOP a permanent program with stable, predictable funding, by investing $2 million annually to support harvesting, processing, and marketing initiatives.
  • Target cod quality improvement projects with a portion of the funding.
  • Work to get a viable commercial cod fishery once again operating in 2J3KL.
  • Ensure that the federal government meets its commitment to the re-allocation of the pre-moratorium quota of 115,000 metric tonnes to the inshore fishery, once cod fishery is restored.
  • Invest $3 million in slush ice facilities that will help prepare for the redevelopment of the cod industry.
  • Lobby the federal government to change the structure of the CETA funding, and amend the payment over a ten-year period instead of the current 3-year agreement the deal stipulates.

“We know a resurgent cod fishery could be a permanent, sustainable industry that could sustain a strong and vibrant rural economy in the province.”