Questions For Federal Election Candidates

[BigIron]

A few from here have asked me if there is anything they could do to help out in the halibut allocation matter. And I have suggested the odd action in response. Here is likely amongst the best so far...

We are now facing down yet another Federal Election (sigh). And as foolish a waste of time, money and energy that exercise presents it does provide an couple of opportunities: First to make each candidate in our ridings aware of the issue. There are but a few who have any focus on the matter at hand, most remain blissfully unaware at this point. The second, and perhaps more significant of the two, is to determine their Party's position regarding the ongoing Privatization of Public Resources.

To that end, a letter of request has been drafted to both enlighten each Candidate on the issue, and to directly request that each clarify their, and their Party's positions in this regard. Below I have copied this letter and would strongly urge each one of you to fire off a copy to each one of the Candidates in your own local Riding:

As a Constituent in the Riding within which you are seeking election, I am writing to seek your views on the challenges facing the recreational halibut fishery in British Columbia. As you may know, the BC Sportfishing Coalition has been raising the profile of the recreational halibut fishery for the past several months, and has organized a series of town hall meetings up and down the coast that have attracted standing room only attendance from thousands of voters across BC who want to know how they can ensure that recreational anglers will get reasonable access to the halibut resource that they all own as Canadians.

The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) process handles all conservation issues very well. My concern is with the current halibut allocation policy only. This is NOT a conservation issue.

My questions for you are simple:

Do you support the present privatization of Canada’s common property pacific halibut resource?

Do you believe that BC’s recreational halibut anglers should have reasonable catch opportunities over the course of their normal fishing season?

Do you believe that commercial halibut quota holders (slipper skippers) should be able to sell or lease their quota, even if they are no longer participants in the fishery?

Would you support that the present recreational angler’s individual halibut limit of two fish be able to be taken in one day?

Thank you in advance for your timely answers to these questions.

Sincerely,

While the Coalition itself will be posing a similar set of questions, coming from voters within their own ridings may well help speed up their responses. I truly hope that most will take this advice to heart, and fire these questions off to those who aspire to win in each of your home ridings. Replies should be posted here for all to see, and I will ad in those that come in over the next little while...

Cheers,
Nog

[BigIron]

I was told on another forum that: "this is an issue that you lobby the fisheries minister with, not try and make an election issue". I beg to differ, and as it is related, am posting my answer to that here:

Lobbying the Minister was conducted after a decade of "negotiations" with DFO personnel failed. Even on the few occasions when consensus was reached amongst the sectors on how to increase the recreational sector's access, DFO repeatedly quashed those results out of hand, making fools of those who engaged in the efforts of round table discussions. The Minister went one step further in her ruling that sporting anglers could now "purchase" access to their own resource.

The Supreme Court of Canada and all relevant Legislation clearly point out that DFO is the "steward" of the resource, NOT the "owner". In fact the Court went so far as to clearly define that our fisheries resources belong to All the People of Canada. By assuming ownership, and granting the vast majority of that to a select few, that Ministry has FAR overstepped it's legal and moral confines.

Halibut is today simply the focus of a much larger concern, that of the Privatization of Public Resources with no legal standing. Talks are in fact ongoing that will effect access to most other marine species in this exact same manner. DFO is poised to once again grant defacto "ownership" of those resources in direct contrast to the Laws of this Nation.

When a Federal Ministry decides on it's own which Rules of Law it will adhere to, and which it will simply ignore, we have a very serious problem. When that action directly and negatively effects the very same people that Ministry is legally mandated to oversee and manage the resources for, the problem becomes even greater in magnitude.

I dislike politics as much as anyone, and desperately wish we were not painted into the corner we now are. By the Ministry's own actions, by refusal to adhere to the Canadian system of Law, and by further perpetrating the continued expansion of illegal "ownership" of Canadian resources, they have left no alternative. Yes, investigations into legal actions are ongoing, but the question remains: Why should the Canadian Public be forced to enter into a costly legal battle to force a Government Ministry to adhere to the Rules of Law that govern it's very existence?

This matter therefore goes well beyond that of halibut, in fact well beyond fisheries of any kind. It goes to the correct and legal behavior of those who are mandated to act in accordance with the best interests of those they work for, the Nation as a whole, regardless of the portfolio.

Important matters indeed. Years of negotiations have failed due to the sheer arrogance of DFO and firm belief that they are omnipotent and unaccountable to none but themselves. Lobbying met with the exact same fate, for the exact same reasons.

How else to reign in this stampeding Wild Horse than getting the message to those that supposedly oversee them that they are NOT Omnipotent, that they are NOT Unaccountable, and that their continued defiance of Canadian Law is intolerable?

If that is not an obvious election issue, I do not know what is...

Cheers,
Iron

[BigIron]

One of the Ladz got an answer already from Troy DeSouza, Conservative Candidate for Esquimalt / Juan De Fuca:

"Dear John,

Thank you for your email. I appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to not only share your comments but to also engage in the election by sending me some good questions.

I agree that the issue of the halibut fisheries is not about conservation. This important issue is about supporting fairness in our halibut fisheries. This means that we need to allow our recreational fisherman to take a more balanced portion of the halibut resource and we must provide reasonable compensation to commercial fisherman who rightfully hold quota. We need to have a fair and balanced allocation for recreational fishers so they can plan and have a successful fishing season.

Thank you once again for your email and I hope that on May 2 you'll vote for me, Troy DeSouza."

Bit of a turn-around from what we have been hearing from that particular party. However it was also noted "he was chiming the same comments a month ago at the SFAB meeting in Victoria, its not just a sudden election urge. Says he made a plea face to face with Shea to change things, but could tell he was in a serious battle and he at that point was on the losing end of it."

If he is sincere, let's hope a few more get onside and deliver the message to Harper and the Minister (whoever that happens to be once the dust settles...). Hopefully we can manage to turn this around to the Winning end of things!

Cheers,
Nog

[BigIron]

Hi Folks,

Apparently Global TV is offering a program in which voters can submit questions to be posed to candidates in the upcoming election.
The Email addresses I was given to send these to are: question@electiondebate2011.ca and weekendnews@globaltv.com
Methinks this presents us with another opportunity to get our questions a little more focus. Of course the more that ask them, the greater the chance they will be considered for inclusion. Thus I suggest that we all take advantage of this possibility, and take the few minutes it requires to fire off an Email to them in this regard!

Here is what I forwarded to them:

"I am writing to submit a few questions for consideration in your candidates question program. I would sincerely like to see these addressed, as they will very much effect the way myself and a lot of my friends decide to vote!

I am writing to seek each candidates' views on the challenges facing the recreational halibut fishery in BC.
Recognizing that the International Pacific Halibut Commission handles the matters related to conservation extremely well, I note that this is not a conservation issue, but rather focused on the current halibut Allocation Policy.

Here are the questions I have for each candidate:

- Do they and their Party support the present Privatization of Canada's Common Property halibut resource?

- Do they and their Party believe that Canada's recreational halibut anglers should have reasonable catch opportunities over the course of their normal fishing year?

- Do they and their Party believe that commercial halibut quota holders that do not personally fish halibut should be able to sell and/or lease their quota when they are no longer active participants in that fishery?

- Would they and their Party support the present recreational angler's individual halibut limit of two fish be able to be taken in one day?

To a great many of us on the Coast, these are very pressing issues at this point. It would be very desirable to understand the position of each candidate and their Parties regarding these matters, as it will certainly and directly effect the way in which a significant number of use decide to vote.

Thank you for your consideration in adding these questions in your " Ask a question of the candidates" programming!

Sincerely,
Me"

Very good opportunity, and very easy to do! I sincerely hope each of us can find the few minutes it takes to help bring these matters to each candidates attention!

Cheers,
Matt