Liberals continue record-high health spending
Tories, NDP call 2024 budget ‘disappointing’
After the first attempt to deliver her 2024 provincial budget was thwarted by protesting fish harvesters on Wednesday, Finance Minister Siobhan Coady stood in a half-empty legislature Thursday afternoon and delivered a deficit budget.
Typically, budget day at the Confederation Building features a bustling lobby, and people welcomed in the public gallery, but that was not the case on Thursday.
The government cancelled its budget lock-in for stakeholders and closed the public gallery, citing safety concerns in both cases.
There was an off-site virtual technical briefing for journalists, after major news outlets decided against sending reporters into the building.
TORIES, NDP REFUSE TO CROSS PROTESTERS’ LINE
In the chamber, Coady’s Liberal colleagues filled the government side of the House of Assembly. Across the floor, the seats were empty.
The Progressive Conservative and NDP caucuses, as well as the independent MHAS, refused to walk past the protesting fish harvesters to enter the Confederation Building.
Tory Leader Tony Wakeham and NDP Leader Jim Dinn said their refusal to hear the budget speech in the legislature was a show of support for everyone who works in the fishing industry.
Both leaders spoke with reporters at the Alt Hotel in downtown St. John’s Thursday afternoon after Coady read her speech, which they watched on the House of Assembly’s live stream.
COADY WENT IN AHEAD OF PROTEST
At the Confederation Building, police officers in tactical gear stood between the harvesters and the building. Some harvesters said they were protesting out of desperation because they face bankruptcy.
Coady told reporters she actually entered the building the night before, around 8 p.m., and slept there overnight. She said she did it to be prepared for the day. She also said she has never slept overnight at the Confederation Building in preparation for previous budgets.
Coady stood to deliver the budget wearing shoes from downtown boutique Soul Studio and a new dress from high-end local fashion designer Sooley Designs, whose dresses typically sell for at least $300.
Coady shared the details about her outfit in a social media post. Some comments on the post ridiculed Coady for being out of touch with regular people.
Her budget held steady on previously announced measures to address the high cost of living, but did not include any new cost-of-living measures, despite continued inflation at 2.6 per cent over the last year.
Below are some of the highlights from the budget.
NO NEW TAXES
• The budget has no new taxes, tax increases or fee increases.
• There was a reduction in the small business tax rate from 3 to 2.5 per cent, which was lauded by business groups.
• The budget includes $8 million “to continue to work to replace Her Majesty’s Penitentiary.”
INTEGRATION OF NL HOUSING INTO CORE GOVERNMENT
The budget documents included news that the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corp. will be integrated into core government.
“We can really streamline and ensure that we have a good, seamless process, especially now that we have a minister of housing reflective of that,” Coady told reporters.
“Currently, 5,000 people are employed in fish processing facilities. These 5,000 people are in the same communities as harvesters and need this employment to support their families,” the ASP stated. “While the FFAW should be looking after plant workers’ best interests, they have caved and joined forces with the harvester-led protest and by doing so have threatened the livelihoods of plant workers.
“Additional capacity decreases employment for plant workers. It slices the same-size pie into additional pieces and the result is each worker gets less of the pie. The issuance of new processing licences or the lifting of current caps would result in work being transferred between processing facilities and communities — it does not achieve new employment opportunities.”
UNION DISPUTES CLAIMS
The FFAW says the ASP is wrong in its claim that lifting provincial processing caps will harm existing processing plant workers.
“To be clear, the vast majority of fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador experience trouble finding a reliable buyer for their catch,” the union says. “This is not a one-off problem, in a single fishery. This is a widespread, systemic issue facing the provincial processing landscape in our province.”
The FFAW release states that the union supports keeping work in the province, and changes would make for longer seasons and more work.
“Harvesters are not able to land their allotted quotas because the plant they are tied to either refuses to — or cannot due to caps — buy their product,” the FFAW stated. “Combined with dramatic decreases in prices last year, and similarly dramatic increases in expenses, the inshore owneroperator fishery is confronting an acute breaking point.”
THURSDAY’S PROTEST
Melissa Chippett, from Leading Tickles, Notre Dame Bay, was one of hundreds of fish harvesters who gathered at the Confederation Building for a second day on Thursday.
“We’re not asking for (the government) to turn the world upside down, we just want our fair share of a fishing industry,” Chippett said. “We want to be able to fish when we want to fish. We want fair pay for our product. We don’t want (money) held back. We hope government will soon listen to us.”
Fish harvester Jason Sullivan of Bay Bulls said he is frustrated by the lack of clarity and action from the government.
“The premier was on the news yesterday and said that they met the demands that (fisherman John Efford Jr.) was looking for,” said Sullivan. “But, no one’s seen that in writing, no one really knows what he’s talking about. As far as we’re concerned, he hasn’t met anything.”
EARLY START
The fish harvesters gathered as early as 4 a.m. Thursday while RNC officers in tactical gear stood by. The day before, government employees were prevented from entering the building and the Furey government was unable to deliver its spring budget Wednesday. Things were calmer on Thursday and the budget was delivered, albeit with only Liberal members appearing in the House of Assembly.
Earlier, John Efford Jr. had spoken to his fellow protesters and reminded them to keep the protest peaceful and to not be baited by “political games.”
Around 8 a.m., when employees were expected to start showing up, the harvesters began tightening up, creating a human blockade. Employees, however, were reportedly advised to stay home. One employee did arrive around 8:50 a.m. and tried to get inside the building. The protesters refused to allow the person entry, yelling, “Respect the picket line.”
The RNC escorted the employee off the parking lot and the protesters cheered as he walked away. No arrests were made despite a court injunction in place to prevent protesters from interfering in the operation of the building and workers.
Members of the Progressive Conservative party arrived at the protest about 11:15 a.m. and PC Leader Tony Wakeham announced that his party would not attend the reading of the budget out of respect for harvesters, resulting in loud cheers. Wakeham said Premier Andrew Furey has failed to address the harvesters’ issues.
GOVERNMENT POSITION
Fisheries Minister Elvis Loveless also issued a news release on Thursday, stating the government is committed to making progress on fisheries issues.
“Our government has made significant commitments in response to requests from fish harvesters and their union,” Loveless stated.
Those commitments include starting an application process for outside buyers, looking at increasing processing capacity in the snow crab industry before the 2024 crab fishing season begins, and doing a full review that will touch on all elements of the fishing industry, he stated.
WHAT WILL IT TAKE?
Efford, who is from Port de Grave, has been at the forefront of negotiations and a leader of the protests.
“We have been in talks with the provincial government for quite some time about what we need,” he said. “Our message is free enterprise. All we’re asking is that they meet our points, and (the protest) is done.”
Efford added that if the changes are not made in the fishery, fish harvesters “are going to be extinct. We will be a thing of the past.”
Efford’s message to Furey was, “Can we get this put to bed, can we go home? You don’t want us in your hair and we don’t want you in ours.”
Plans are to continue the protest on Friday, March 22.