Yes, Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the ongoing push by the Baffin communities, particularly, to acquire licences for offshore fishing, particularly adjacent to Baffin Island, and the difficulty they are encountering. This has been going on for about four years and we are still having some difficulty acquiring allocations and licences for the Baffin people to fish in areas adjacent to Baffin Island. We have been trying to add our voice to the Baffin communities and the Nunavut leaders, in asking the federal government to do what they can to ensure that the Baffin people benefit from the resources that are found adjacent to their communities. We will continue to do what we can to ensure that some of the licences that are presently in existence are reallocated to the Baffin so that it's not existing fishermen and businesses from the Maritimes and Newfoundland who are, after having fished themselves out of existence, moving North to possibly do the same. We will be doing what we can to ensure that the Baffin people get to fish and that this is probably, on a conservation basis, the best way to ensure that someone will take responsibility for ensuring that the fisheries are handled in a way that's going to be sustainable. Thank you.
Stephen Kakfwi on Question 35-13(3): Baffin Fishing Licence Applications
In the Legislative Assembly on March 22nd, 1996. See this statement in context.
Return To Question 35-13(3): Baffin Fishing Licence Applications
Question 35-13(3): Baffin Fishing Licence Applications
Item 6: Oral Questions
March 21st, 1996
Page 45
See context to find out what was said next.