OTTAWA - The 2012 budget confirms that the Conservative government is abandoning Canada’s independent fishers. The budget offers no new funding to repair Canada’s vast network of small craft harbours, many of which are falling apart and becoming unusable. Fishers in local communities rely on these docks for their livelihood.

“In coastal communities, funding for harbour maintenance is being cut year after year. It is getting to the point where it is no longer safe for fishers to dock their boats,” said Philip Toone, NDP Deputy Fisheries and Oceans Critic. “In some communities the volunteer harbour administration has threatened to quit because it can no longer maintain the harbour,” he added.

To add insult to injury, as the cost of harbour maintenance has been downloaded, some volunteers are now forced to collect fees from fishers on behalf of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

“Fishermen pay their fair share of tax and deserve to receive good service,” said Fin Donnelly, NDP Fisheries and Oceans Critic. “The lack of funding for small craft harbours is part of the Conservative government’s overall neglect for the Quebec and East Coast fishery. The government favours big business over local, traditional fishermen.”

The government also recently refused to affirm its support of fleet separation and owner operator policies, which protect the east coast inshore fishery from big corporate interests, ensuring that local fishers can make a living.