Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my Member's statement today is about the plight of an industry, an economic sector very important to the riding that I represent. For the past 50 years commercial harvesting of fish from Great Slave Lake has been a sustainable industry creating wealth, employment and livelihood for many people. Today I am sorry to report that most Great Slave Lake fishermen cannot afford to fish this summer. A combination of low prices announced by the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation and the reduction in the freight subsidy due to GNWT budgetary cuts will net a bottom line resulting in projected losses which eliminate the viability of commercial fishing this summer season.
By a show of hands at the annual general meeting of the NWT Fishermen's Federation, the majority of fishermen indicated that they cannot afford to fish this summer. I would like to thank Mr. Kakfwi, the Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife, and Economic Development for coming to Hay River and meeting with the fishermen. We heard that the problems facing this industry consist of more than the reduction in the freight subsidy. Many areas, including marketing, operating costs, harvesting techniques, product development and processing are all areas that need to be addressed.
While the cost of wages, food, fuel and equipment has risen dramatically in the past 25 years, the price being paid for fish has not risen proportionately. At a time when this government is counting on the private sector to provide much needed jobs for northerners, we must examine our renewable resource sector industries such as commercial fishing, to ensure we are doing everything we can to ensure their viability and continuance.
Commercial fishing on Great Slave Lake employs approximately 180 individuals who could not easily transfer their skills and experience to other types of work. Great Slave Lake yields a sustainable, high quality grade of fish for which there is a market. However, it is an export market and for the past 25 years we have relied on the services of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation to fulfil this marketing role. Along with the raw resource of our fish, we have exported the monetary spinoffs and jobs for processing and handling to a plant in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
When it was determined by this government that Freshwater was not serving the interests of the char and turbit fishery in the eastern Arctic, the development corporation stepped in to assist with transportation, marketing, product development and working capital resulting in workable prices and secondary processing jobs.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.