Hundreds of Newfoundland fishermen protest prices, pressing minister for changes
CBC
Fishermen from across the Avalon Peninsula took their complaints and concerns about pricing for this year's inshore fishery straight to Fisheries Minister Derrick Bragg in St. John's on Monday, with a concurrent protest happening in Corner Brook.
Members of the Fish, Food & Allied Workers union say they aren't happy with the price they're getting for their product, how those prices are set, and the level of fairness they're getting from processing companies.
"We've tried to have conversations, discussions, use logic, but nothing seems to be working," union president Keith Sullivan said Monday at Confederation Building in St. John's, where protesters rallied.
"I think we're here to send a loud message. And if people didn't get it in meetings, they're going to damn well get the message today.… We want some fairness in setting prices. That means real competition. That means transparency in setting prices."
WATCH | Protesters head to the mic to air their concerns to Fisheries Minister Derrick Bragg:
Hundreds voiced their anger and concerns outside Confederation Building, much of it addressed at Bragg, who addressed the crowd.
"You want someone to blame, so put it on the shoulders of the man who carries the position of minister of fisheries. I saw someone down there with a sign that said 'Support Rural Newfoundland.' I said that's me. I live it," Bragg told the crowd.
"I would invite the hecklers to come up and take the microphone, 'cause I have big shoulders."
One heckler told Bragg "diddly-squat" has been done to help the fishery in decades, to which Bragg responded, "That's not fair to say."
"It is fair to say," said the protester. "I've been at this 40 years. I haven't seen one bloody difference."
On the other side of the island, another 150 FFAW members held a demonstration in the parking lot of the provincial Sir Richard Squires Building in Corner Brook.
Doretta Strickland, a Triton plant worker and member of the FFAW executive, was one of the several speakers who rallied the crowd with the message that the province must step in to ensure prices for the harvesters are fair.
"We need a decision, but on the other hand, the fish harvesters still need a fair price," she said. "You don't expect them to go out and get $7.60, what the companies wants to pay, and in other provinces gets $12. They're not going to stand for that."
Winning, to the harvesters, is a fair price for snow crab, she said. However, the Association of Seafood Producers' challenge of former longtime FFAW president Earle McCurdy on the province's pricing panel has enraged many union members.
Much of Newfoundland is digging out of a blustery and messy day as another storm slams into the island.
Timiskaming—Cochrane MPP John Vanthof recalls the meeting in Thunder Bay earlier this month. He was part of the nine-day road trip along Highways 11 and 17 with other NDP MPPs.
A bill before the Nova Scotia Legislature is proposing raising the age limit for support for young people who have been in the foster care or group home system to 26.
The Fredericton Police Force has reallocated funds so new staff can be hired this year to better manage evidence after a police error upended murder cases against five people.
One of two pilots killed in a plane crash at New York's LaGuardia Airport Sunday earned his wings at an Ontario college, CBC News has learned.
Air Canada passengers who were aboard Flight 8646 when the CRJ-900 aircraft struck a fire truck upon landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Sunday evening say the collision was sudden and forceful, and they may owe their lives to the pilots who died in the incident.
Cardiac services are set to expand at a Winnipeg hospital once regarded as one of the best in Canada for heart care.
A 26-second TikTok video has ignited a larger conversation about vulnerable populations, theft and content creation.
Some family doctors and emergency room physicians working in Edmonton hospitals warn that an April 1 end to stipend pay arrangements could put patient care at risk and increase suffering.
An Auditor General of Canada report has found that B.C. saw drastically fewer international students than was forecast ever since wide-ranging federal immigration cuts began in 2024.
Six years after e-learning became a mandatory requirement to get an Ontario high school diploma, students don't appear to be taking online school to diversify their course selection as the province had intended, according to a CBC News analysis of provincial enrolment data.
Sarnia City Council will hold a special meeting Tuesday morning to respond to social media comments made by Coun. Bill Dennis, who criticized city spending on a new mural by Indigenous artist Kennady Osborne as “virtue signalling by woke politicians” — then made a series of comments in response to a reply from Aamjiwnaang Chief Janelle Nahmabin that some have characterized as unprofessional and aggressive.
While many Albertans continue to feel the pinch at the pump, Premier Danielle Smith says the government is not considering any fuel tax breaks, as it does not believe it will make much of a difference.