Dear Editor,

While Canada, Mexico and the Untied States have agreed in principle on a new trade agreement to replace NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agree-ment), this new agreement has not yet become law. The Western Gulf Fishermen’s Association would urge that the government take steps to ensure that the new USMCA is implemented as soon as possible.

Our members recognize that the agreement is important to the Island’s economy. They know that the United States is Canada’s most important market for its fishery products. Approximately 65 per cent of all fish products produced in Canada are shipped to the United States, duty free.

Fishing is the Island’s second largest economic sector. There are some 1,280 lobster vessels which are manned by approximately 3,500 fishers. There are also the oyster and mussel fisheries, the fish processing plants, the boat builders and other suppliers. In 2017 the fishery contributed some $650 million dollars to the Island’s economy, and the fishery and its related businesses employed more than 8,000 people on the Island.

The implementation of the USMCA makes certain that this level of eco-nomic activity will continue for the foreseeable future. Full implementation of the USMCA is vital for the prosperity and the continuing viability of the Island’s ru-ral communities, as well as other fishing communities throughout Atlantic Canada and the rest of the country.

The Western Gulf Fishermen’s Association is aware that we should not rely too strongly on a single market; therefore it also appreciates the recently signed trade agreement with the European Community, and the new trade agreement with the countries of Southeast Asia, the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

These agreements will make it easier to sell Island fish products in these new and growing markets. As an example, the TPP will see the removal of a 32 per cent tariff on Island lobsters being shipped to Vietnam, a country with an ex-panding economy and one that could be an important market for our products in the future. Starting 2019 all tariffs on seafood exported to the EU will be lifted.

International trade, with its many rules and regulations and differing tariffs, can be a complex business. These new trade agreements help simplify the process and make these markets more accessible to Canadian fish products. The Western Gulf Fishermen’s Association would like to ask the Island Members of Parlia-ment, and all MPs across the country to support the implementation of these new agreements.

Sincerely,

President Craig Avery & Board of Directors and members of the Western Gulf Fishermen’s Association