Office of the Official Opposition 

Wakeham Questions Furey’s Flip Flop on Joint Management

 

For Immediate Release

(July 5, 2024, St. John’s, N.L.) While the Progressive Conservative Party has been pressing for joint fisheries management for Newfoundland and Labrador consistently since the 1980s, Andrew Furey publicly opposed joint fisheries management when seeking the Liberal leadership in 2020, and did absolutely nothing about it during the four years of his tenure.

 

“Joint fisheries management did not appear anywhere in Mr. Furey’s election red book of 2021, nor in any mandate letters in which he laid out his government’s top priorities,” said PC Leader Tony Wakeham. “In fact, fisheries was hardly even mentioned. That’s because the Furey Liberals never really believed in joint fisheries management to begin with, and never considered it to be something worth pursuing. And now, the glaring consequences of his misplaced priorities are clear for all to see.”

 

Interviewed July 7, 2020 on The Broadcast, when asked about joint fisheries management Furey poured cold water on the notion of joint fisheries management in which Furey responded, "I understand the long-standing idea of joint management, especially post-cod moratorium, but I prefer a strong, collaborative voice with DFO in Ottawa. Joint management raises concerns about bureaucracy and fiscal constraints in the current economic climate.”

 

“In Mr. Furey’s entire tenure, he not only refused to even try to get us at the table for joint fisheries management,” added Wakeham. “He also failed to deliver a strong collaborative voice for this province in fisheries management. He failed to get our voice heard around the table. He did nothing to be heard on Ottawa’s mackerel and redfish decisions and was completely shut out of Ottawa’s decision to reopen the commercial cod fishery to foreign countries at this province’s expense.” 

 

Wakeham suggested that Furey’s latest leap to the joint fisheries management issue is for one reason alone, to try desperately to create more distance from the Trudeau government that he campaigned for, told people to vote for, and spent most of his tenure vocally supporting, as they tank in the polls.

 

“The fishery has never been a priority for the Furey Liberals. They mismanaged their own responsibilities on the processing side, did nothing to gain additional responsibilities or say over quotas, vessel sizes, science and the other areas currently confined to federal jurisdiction. All the reason why we need a seat at the table.”

 

A Wakeham PC Government will make joint fisheries management a top priority from the get-go and demand that Newfoundland and Labrador be at the decision-making table on all fisheries decisions impacting Newfoundland and Labrador, mirroring the model of the Atlantic Accord.

-30-