"The Minister recently said it appears the preferred option would be to mothball Fortune and take care of the workers in two other facilities on the south coast," said Reid. "To agree with such an option, and to agree as well with the closure of the fishplant in Harbour Breton, the Minister must realize that he is allowing FPI to displace over 700 workers from several communities because of his refusal to hold FPI accountable.

"Having a portion of the Fortune workforce relocate to the Marystown and Burin fishplants raises questions with respect to seniority. Will these workers end up bumping individuals presently working in Marystown and Burin who have less seniority? And, if workers from Fortune can relocate to Marystown and Burin, then why can’t workers from Harbour Breton do the same? Was the impact on the workforce in Marystown and Burin taken into account when the so-called preferred option was discussed with Minister Taylor? And what about those workers who won’t find work in either Marystown or Burin because the government isn’t holding FPI accountable?" said Reid.

The Liberal MHA says the only option is for the government to take seriously its responsibility to the people of the rural communities affected and use its authority to demand FPI live up to its obligation under the FPI Act. When Minister Taylor was a member of the opposition, the position he espoused on behalf of the PC party was that no plant should close without the consent of the union. Now is the time for the government to live up to that commitment and ensure the future of the FPI fishplants in both Harbour Breton and Fortune and remind FPI that the company was created with taxpayers money to the tune of $251.6 million. These same taxpayers expect and deserve FPI to consider their futures, as well as that of the company’s shareholders.