Positive Outlook on the Horizon
All Atlantic Canadians are familiar with the ages-old, weather proverb in like a lamb, out like a lion.
This saying of course, refers to climatic predictions for the month of March. But many are wondering if the same adage might apply to the date of September 21, 2017.
That particular day on the calendar marks the much-awaited (that’s probably an understatement) Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) provisionally coming into effect — meaning after ...
Will 2017 Produce Another Game Changer?
Most people in Atlantic Canada will not have to read this editorial to realize that this month marks the 25th anniversary of the infamous cod moratorium.
On July 2, 1992, John Crosbie put, what many thought, would be the final nail in the coffin of what was once the largest cod fishery in the world. The feeling at the time was the fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador, as it was known at the time, was over. But despite the initial shock and despair at the time, the fishery was forced to look ...
Canada Will Ship Lobsters and Scallops to Europe Duty Free as Early as May 1
The Canadian free trade agreement with the European Union (EU), called CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement), has been in the works for years, but its first real fisheries effects are about to be felt on both sides of the border.
As early as May 1, the treaty will come into force. The final step is the final ratification by the Canadian Parliament which is likely to occur very soon. Most observers think May 1 is the most likely date.
As is usual in most trade agreements, many ...
Opposition Questions N.L. Premier About CETA Fisheries Fund
Keith Hutchings, Official Opposition Critic for Intergovernmental Affairs, is asking, “Is Premier Ball preparing to give up minimum processing requirements (MPRs) in our province’s fisheries as part of the CETA trade deal with the European Union without getting the full $280-million Fisheries Investment Fund that Ottawa agreed to give this province?”
“In May 2015, when the federal government of the day tried to renege on their Fisheries Investment Fund agreement, our government said ...
PC Opposition Welcomes CETA, Demands Fisheries Fund
Keith Hutchings, Intergovernmental Affairs Critic for the Official Opposition, said, “We welcome news that both the European Parliament and the Canadian House of Commons have approved CETA, paving the way to remove more than 98 per cent of trade barriers between Canada and the European Union, but now we expect the Government of Canada to honour Justin Trudeau’s commitment to Newfoundland and Labrador that Ottawa will provide its share of the Fisheries Investment Fund that he promised ...
Trump Trade Threats May Not Amount to Much
The election of Donald Trump as president of the most powerful country in the world wasn’t an isolated incident, as other countries — especially in Europe — blazed the trail by electing people opposing global trade agreements and wide open immigration policies.
Great Britain led the way with its opposition to the European Union and voted narrowly to opt out of the organization.
France and Germany also have ultra-right wingers vying for top political offices, with free trade arrang...
EU Trade Deal the Perfect Christmas Gift for Our Fishing Industry
Christmas is a time for fellowship and giving, where, for a very brief period in time, an aura of peace and goodwill that seems to permeate the psyche of many of us, placing what we perceive as ill winds at bay, at least for a few weeks.
The problem is, when we awake from the festivities, the ever-so-brief lull which is like medication to dull the pain does nothing to solve the cause of the pain.
Free trade deals between nations have become a fact of life and as with most deals there are ...
On the Waterfront — December 2016
EU Decides to Forgo Lobster Ban
The European Union has decided that lobster from Canada and the United States are not an invasive species after all, averting a ban on the live import of the valuable commodity.
The EU’s Committee on Invasive Alien Species told Sweden, the member nation that had sought the ban after discovering American lobsters off its coast, that it would not list Homerus Americanus for technical reasons, even though Sweden’s argument had persuaded the forum of EU ...
EU Seal Products Ban Unjust, Researcher Says
Unclear in Policy and Legal Context; Became Too Political
The ban on the importation of seal products into the European Union (EU) was nothing more than a political play aimed at showing the public the animal-loving credentials of their elected representatives, a Finland university researcher says.
Nicholas Sellheim, who holds a Ph.D in Law from the University of Lapland in Finland’s northern city of Rovaniemi and a Masters in polar law, said his research shows that although the EU seal ...
