Above photo: Former N.L. Premier Roger Grimes. Photo Submitted by CNLOPB
Former N.L. Premier Speaks on Joint Management
The government of Newfoundland and Labrador is once again fighting for the province to have more say over how the province’s fishery is managed — a fight that former Premier Roger Grimes is all too familiar with.
In the aftermath of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) lifting the moratorium of Northern cod in N.L., the provincial Liberal government has taken issue with the commercial fish once again allowing foreign offshore draggers into local waters. As such, Premier Andrew Furey penned an open letter to DFO Minister Diane Lebouthillier calling for N.L. to have the power to jointly manage the fishery alongside the federal government.
Back in 2003, Premier Grimes was facing a different set of challenges. Just over 10 years after the shutdown of the commercial cod fishery, Newfoundland and Labrador was in the midst of reinventing itself. Shrimp and crab had become the newest economic drivers in the fishery, and all three provincial parties came together with the goal of having more power over these emerging stocks.
“While the federal government had control over it, obviously the result of the moratorium was that they hadn’t done a very good job,” said Grimes. “We had a good model, already, with 20-odd years of experience in the offshore in doing it jointly for oil and gas. So, why wouldn’t we make a proposal?”
At the time that the provincial government released the Royal Commission on Renewing and Strengthening Our Place in Canada, which included provisions surrounding the fishery, Roger Thibault held the title of fisheries minister. As a Nova Scotian who was familiar with the fishery, Grimes’ government thought the minister would be sympathetic to the province’s cause.
Joint management between Canada and N.L., however, was never truly in the cards at the time, according to Grimes.
“My thought now, looking back on it, is that they were courteous. We went up with a delegation of all three political leaders from all three parties, they met with us, they listened to us and so on, but I don’t think there was ever any thought in their minds that they were going to give away or cede any control over management of the fishery,” said Grimes. “We all realized that it was all up to political will on the side of the federal government.”
At the time, Grimes said there was no political fallout for denying the province more power over the fishery. He compared this to his successor, former Premier Danny Williams, who was able to revisit the Atlantic Accord over oil and gas management due to the province’s federal ridings being in jeopardy during Prime Minister Paul Martin’s tenure.
Now, with the Furey government behind the wheel, there are many parallels to the era Grimes was active in politics. The Liberal Party is once again holding federal power with a minority government, with an upcoming election cycle that has the Liberals fighting to hold Liberal seats across the country. Likewise, the fishery is once again transitioning, with the emergence of both commercial cod and redfish fisheries.
Grimes is of the opinion that if there is any time to advocate for joint management of the fishery, it’s during this politically advantageous time.
“There is an election cycle, and it all comes down to political will. The federal government has to feel that there’s something in it for them. Before, when we were out there, it was a non-issue. It wasn’t going to change things one way or another. Now every seat in the next federal cycle, for sure, is going to be precious,” said Grimes. “It’s the right cause, it’s the right time, but it will still come down to political judgement and estimation on the federal side as to whether they feel enough pressure to do this. I don’t think they’re going to do it any more now than they did then it terms of building a greater Canada or that kind of messy stuff. It’s going to be done out of political urgency. Now is as good of a time as any.”
While Grimes said that now is a politically advantageous time to advocate for this decades-long cause, he said if the Furey government fails to achieve joint management, the issue will only come back again under a successive government.
“If it doesn’t get done this time, somebody in Newfoundland and Labrador will be asking for it again in 10 or 12 or 15 years’ time,” said Grimes. “Mark it on your calendar.”
