SUPPLEMENTARY OPINION BY THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY

The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans Report on

Safe and Well-Funded Small Craft Harbours: 

A Necessary Priority

Supplementary Opinion

Peter Stoffer, MP (Sackville-Eastern Shore) December 2007

I have been a member of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans for the last ten years, and was pleased to participate in the process that led to the creation of this interim report.  I have no objections to the overall foundation, direction and structure of this report but ask that the Committee strengthen and clarify several points in the report.  They include the following:

Stabilizing the SCH program base budget and securing additional funding to address the current infrastructure deficit

This section states (page 9): 

DFO has to provide the necessary (reasonable) harbour repairs and environmental clean-up associated with transfer by either undertaking this work prior to disposal or by providing a comparable grant to the recipient instead.

It is the NDP’s position that any divestiture of wharves or small craft harbours must have financial and human resources in place long before the divestiture takes place.

Furthermore, the NDP maintains that the federal government must continue to be a partner in supporting small craft harbours and wharves - even after the divestiture of a small craft harbours (SCH) to local Harbour Authorities.  The federal government should continue to remain a partner after the divestiture to assist with necessary maintenance like dredging or critical repairs to infrastructure.  Fishermen and SCH boards simply cannot afford to pay or raise money for critical infrastructure improvements.  Fishermen and coastal communities should not be required to shoulder the burden for critical infrastructure improvements to small craft harbours.  In so many remote regions of our country, small fishing harbours are indispensable and remain critical infrastructure for economic development opportunities in our coastal communities.  

I want to thank all the members of the Committee and witnesses who participated in the process that led to the development of this report.  I trust that you will give my suggestions serious consideration and I thank you for the opportunity to provide my input.

Sincerely,

Peter Stoffer MP

Sackville - Eastern Shore