Official Hansard
Mr. Chair, I rise this evening to highlight the contributions of the new government in Bill C-30 to the coastal communities of Prince Edward Island. Small craft harbours are places of employment for more than 1,200 fishers. For many, it is a way of life passed from one generation to the next, from setting day when family and friends line the wharf to wish harvesters a safe and prosperous season to the last trap that comes ashore at the end of the season. It is the pride of families who have made their living from the sea for decades. For Islanders, fishing is part of our identity. It is parents and the next generation hauling traps together, learning the ropes. It is gathering at the wharf after a long day on the water to talk about the daily fishing news. It is communities built around hard work, resilience and respect for the ocean. Across Atlantic Canada, this same story exists across coastal communities where the fishery sustains not only local economies but traditions, culture and livelihoods. In Prince Edward Island alone, the total value of fish and aquaculture exceeded $454 million in 2024, with lobster landings accounting for more than $358 million of this. The overall contribution to P.E.I.’s economy exceeds almost $1 billion and supports as many as 8,000 jobs at peak production. Across Atlantic Canada, fisheries landings totalled more than $3.6 billion in 2024, with shellfish accounting for over $3.28 billion of that value. These are not just statistics. These are processing plants operating in rural communities. They are truck drivers, welders, suppliers, fuel operators, mechanics, buyers and plant workers, whose livelihoods depend on a strong and sustainable fishery. Small craft harbours are the centre of all this activity. They are the economic engines of many rural communities in Atlantic Canada, yet for many years, too many of these harbours have faced underinvestment, aging infrastructure, storm damage and the growing impacts of climate change, as we have seen with the devastating impacts of hurricane Fiona. In many areas, fishers and harbour authorities are doing everything they can simply to keep facilities operational while waiting for major repairs and modernization work to proceed. Here in Ottawa, we formed a small craft harbours committee to discuss these very issues as a collective. I want to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues for their unwavering persistence to work with me for funding for small craft harbours. I also want to personally thank the Prime Minister and the ministers of finance and fisheries for making sure our proposal for a significant investment in small craft harbours was included in the spring economic statement. We are very pleased to see the beginning of the rollout of these announcements across Atlantic Canada, the Pacific coast and the north as part of the nearly $1-billion investment over five years through the small craft harbours program. This is the largest sustained investment in small craft harbours in decades. However, maintaining safe and functional harbours is not only about wharfs and breakwaters. It also requires ongoing and responsive dredging investments to ensure channels remain navigable and safe for harvesters. In Prince Edward Island and across Atlantic Canada, weather events, storm surges and coastal erosion can quickly impact harbour entrances and navigation channels. When dredging delays occur, fish harvesters face serious operational and safety challenges, particularly during low tide. Responsive dredging capacity following major weather events must be viewed as essential maintenance for our harbours. During her recent visit to Red Head Harbour, the Minister of Fisheries saw first-hand sections of the harbour that have been fenced off because of damage and safety concerns. That reality should be a concern to all of us. Harbours are workplaces. They should be safe for fish harvesters. They should be safe for buyers, plant workers, transport operators and the many families and tourists who visit throughout the season. Red Head is not alone. Harbours in the Cardigan riding, which I represent, like Mink River, Fortune and Georgetown, all continue to wait in the queue for repairs to ensure their harbour infrastructure can support their fisheries. I also want to take an opportunity to commend the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association and associations across Atlantic Canada for the leadership they continue to show in advancing conservation measures while sustaining fisheries. Harvesters understand the need to protect marine ecosystems because their livelihoods and their futures depend on them. When we invest in fisheries, we are investing in much more than infrastructure or economic output. We are investing in communities where families will continue to watch boats come home at sunset and where generations continue to see that there is a viable future on the water. That future matters deeply to Prince Edward Island and to Atlantic Canada. I believe there is much more to come as we continue building stronger coastal communities, modernizing harbours, supporting innovation in conservation and ensuring that the next generation can continue with a proud tradition of making a living from the sea. I believe we also need to think bigger about the role of ports and harbour infrastructure in Atlantic Canada and throughout Canada. Our harbours are not only critical to the fishing industry. They also represent untapped economic potential tied to trade diversification, domestic supply chains, food security and transportation corridors. In Prince Edward Island and across Atlantic Canada, strategic investments in harbour and port infrastructure could support seafood exports, agri-food storage and transportation, cold storage capacity and greater access to domestic and international markets. These investments can strengthen economic resilience while reducing pressure on larger transportation hubs. There is also growing potential for ports and marine infrastructure to support broader national objectives, including Arctic and defence supply chains, emergency response capacity and economic security. Coastal communities have always played an essential role in building Canada’s economy, and they will continue to play an even greater role as we strengthen domestic trade and transportation networks. Can the minister speak to how the government views small craft harbours as strategic economic assets that strengthen trade diversification, food security and rural economic resilience across Atlantic Canada?
