St. John’s, NL (June 6, 2025) Tony Wakeham, Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party and MHA for Stephenville – Port au Port today raised concerns about the recent allegations made by FFAW-Unifor that processors are shipping vast amounts of unprocessed crab out of the province to be processed elsewhere.

“These are very serious allegations that warrant an investigation,” stated Wakeham. “Unfortunately, as is the pattern with the Liberals, this government continues to ignore the problems in our fishery.”

Wakeham noted he will be meeting with FFAW-Unifor President Dwan Street on Monday to hear directly from the union.

“The fishery is a billion-dollar industry with thousands of jobs and the lifeblood of rural Newfoundland and Labrador is at stake.  The Liberal government must order an immediate investigation. All too often, the Liberals have ignored fish harvesters and plant workers, forcing them to protest to be heard – that is not true leadership,” continued Wakeham.

Wakeham repeated his promise to establish a separate Department of Fisheries with a full time Minister dedicated solely to this important sector, giving it the attention it deserves.

“The fishery is too important to be managed on the corner of someone’s desk,” said Wakeham. “A full time and dedicated Minister should always be available to address concerns as they arrive and work with all stakeholders to ensure a fair and prosperous fishery.”