Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions were going to be for the Minister of ITI, but listening to the Minister of health say “yes” all the time, I might ask her instead.
---Laughter
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said in my statement, fishing is one of the most challenging and dangerous occupations. As such, we must ensure that our fishers are provided safe working conditions and the tools to make that happen here in the NWT. My first question for the Minister of ITI is: the NWT fishing revitalization strategy focuses mainly on production of fish and is silent on safety; can the Minister confirm if it includes the supports to improve fisher safety, and, if so, what are those safety supports? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Safety is something that we take very seriously and is a focus of the Commercial Fisheries Revitalization Strategy. A key component of the strategy is addressing equipment and standards, which will promote safer fishing practices throughout the NWT. As with most things, we have many partners in this effort, including the marine training centre in Hay River, the NWT’s Fishermen’s Federation, NWSCC as well.
I’ll ask the Minister: are there any funds that will be put towards ensuring fishers have access to safety equipment, such as the emergency position indicating radio beacons, which can help locate fishermen or vessels if something happens?
Yes, Mr. Speaker, we do have funds available through existing programs, which can be accessed for this kind of equipment. They would include the SEED program, or Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development policy, and the Commercial Fisheries Industry Support Program. I can also confirm we have provided funding for GPS equipment in the past, and we’re going to continue to make this part of our discussion as we go through the process of revitalization.
Does the Minister’s department work with DFO and/or the WSCC to ensure vessels are inspected and are seaworthy and have the necessary safety equipment to meet safety standards?
Yes, we work with WSCC and Transport Canada, who is the regulator of fishing vessels, to promote safety for all of our fishers, and again, the revitalization strategy works to implement mandatory training and supports fishers to bring their equipment and their vessels up to standards, and we are going to continue to work going forward to ensure that the safety is improved for all fishers on the lake. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Minister be willing to throw another $500,000 for grant money for the fishers? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
While I can’t say “yes” on this one, however, I would have to look to my colleagues to approve any supplementary asks that I may have going forward. If we determine that we do need more funding, we will be coming back to the Assembly to look for that funding, and I hope that the Member will say “yes” at that point. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions, Member for Yellowknife Centre.
