N.S. premier pledges $250,000 to help lobstermen market their catch
Last Updated: Sunday, May 24, 2009 | 3:43 PM ET
The Canadian Press
A pledge by the governing Conservatives to set up a $250,000 fund to help Nova Scotia's ailing lobster industry has been dismissed by the both opposition parties as too little, too late.
Party leader Rodney MacDonald announced Saturday that the money — to be taken from a federally funded trust — would be used to find new markets for lobster and help struggling fishermen come up with ways to cut costs.
NDP fisheries critic Sterling Belliveau said MacDonald's plan shows the premier doesn't understand the challenges plaguing the multimillion-dollar industry.
"Lobster fishermen in Nova Scotia have been taking a beating since last December," Belliveau said in a statement. "Some have been forced to sell their catches by the side of the road just to try to recover their costs."
Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil said MacDonald should have acted sooner.
"The fact is they're coming late to the table with $250,000 and it's another indication this government just doesn't understand the severity of the economic challenges this province faces," he said in an interview from Bridgetown.
Both opposition parties have also criticized the Tories for requiring fishermen to pay $40 for roadside permits to sell their catch.
NDP Leader Darrell Dexter said the money for the permits should be given back to the lobstermen, a measure that would provide immediate relief to a beleaguered industry.
"The big question is how do they keep going through these very difficult times that they're experiencing today," Dexter said in an interview while campaigning in Truro.
Tory leader accuses opposition of delaying aid
However, MacDonald denied offering assistance too late, saying the province has already spent "hundreds of thousands" of dollars on the fishery.
He also pointed to recent trips to Alberta and Massachusetts by provincial Fisheries Minister Ron Chisholm to promote Nova Scotia lobster.
If anyone can be accused of delaying efforts to help lobster fishermen, it's the opposition, said MacDonald.
"The opposition blocked a budget that had more money for fisheries in Nova Scotia; they blocked what we would have been spending," MacDonald said in a phone interview.
"We're not going to let them stop us from investing in our fisheries."
MacDonald's minority Tory government fell more than two weeks ago when it was defeated in the house on a bill that would have allowed it to miss debt payments. The defeat in the legislature effectively killed the government's budget.
Nova Scotians go to the polls June 9.
MacDonald said the money for the one-year marketing fund will come from the Community Development Trust, a provincially administered fund that was created last year.
He said the money should start flowing "in the next few weeks," and he promised to ensure that happens even if his Conservatives fail to win the election.
"I'll make sure it does flow. It's not something that is contingent on the budget," he said.
On Friday, Ottawa announced it would make $10 million available to East Coast lobster fishermen to help them promote and market their catch.
The federal New Democrats and Liberals have been calling for changes to employment insurance rules to allow lobster fishermen to base their EI claims on last year's catch.
