https://www.watershed-watch.org/2015/09/the-federal-election-and-wild-salmon/
The Federal Election and Wild Salmon
This entry was posted in Uncategorized.. Posted by Trish Hall on September 17, 2015
Recently, we approached a Member of Parliament known to cover salmon issues from each of the major federal parties running candidates in B.C., in order to get an idea of their platforms ahead of the election. We also wanted to make them aware of your collective voices by presenting them with our 2500-signature petition to implement the recommendations of the $37 millon Cohen Inquiry and over 500 written comments in response to the new salmon farms proposed for Clio Channel.
We met with:
•Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody-Coquitlam;
•Joyce Murray’s constituency assistant (Joyce was unable to attend at the last-minute), Liberal, Vancouver Quadra; and
•Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich-Gulf Islands.
•Unfortunately, after repeated meeting requests via email and phone, we did not get a response from John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North.
Our approach was simple, we asked them all a few questions. Here’s a summary of what each said:
What’s your party’s platform with regard to wild salmon for the upcoming election?
Fin Donnelly, NDP
•Support community-based co-op management of harvest allocation for wild salmon by watershed
•First Nations need to be key players
Joyce Murray Office, Liberal
•Conduct a review of Fisheries Act changes via C-38 and restore lost protections, and incorporate more modern safeguards
•First Nations will be included in the reshaping of federal environmental laws and policies
•Will increase protected marine and coastal areas from 1.3 percent to 5 percent by 2017, and 10 percent by 2020
Elizabeth May, Green
•Ensuring DFO does its job in protecting wild fish
•Focus on climate change and ocean acidification
•Bring back the old Fisheries Act (pre C-38)
•More funding for local restoration groups and streamkeepers
John Duncan, Conservative
•No response
With regard to Cohen Commission Recommendations?
Fin Donnelly, NDP; Joyce Murray, Liberal; Elizabeth May, Green
•Implement them
John Duncan, Conservative
•No response
Do you support the proposed open net farming expansion?
Fin Donnelly, NDP
•No
Joyce Murray Office, Liberal
•They don’t have a specific platform on this at this point
Elizabeth May, Green
•No
John Duncan, Conservative
•No response
What would your government do about the proposed open-net farming expansion?
Fin Donnelly, NDP
•Transition the open-net salmon farming industry to closed containment. Tom Mulcair has agreed to this, though the timeline for a transition is still undecided. The transition would initially occur along wild salmon routes [note: nearly all areas in B.C. are “wild salmon routes”] and eventually across all salmon farming areas (i.e., West Coast of Vancouver Island)
Joyce Murray Office, Liberal
•No specific party platform on this subject at this point
Elizabeth May, Green
•Transition the open-net industry to closed containment
•Remove DFO’s mandate to promote the salmon farming industry
John Duncan, Conservative
•No response