Lobster crisis needs legislature recall: NDP

The provincial NDP is calling on Premier Robert Ghiz to reconvene the P.E.I. Legislature this week to deal with the crisis in the lobster industry.

Fishermen tied up their boats last week to protest low prices running around $3 a pound, which they say is not enough for them to break even. A series of meetings between processors and fishermen has failed to resolve the crisis.

NDP Leader Mike Redmond said a legislative committee needs to be created with the power of subpoena to bring all parties to the table for five days starting this Wednesday. Redmond said fishermen, buyers, and representatives of plant workers should be called together to solve the low wharf price problem that has been plaguing the entire industry for years and has now reached crisis proportions.

"It is too little, too late in terms of pointing the fingers, but government didn't show due diligence on the file by addressing this issue in the off-season. They waited for the boats to be in the water and then here we are again," he said.

"This is not a new issue and the government needs to take leadership, but we need all parties involved to debate around this issue. And let's come up with some good rationale and get all the parties to the table: the fishers, the buyers, the representatives of the fish plant workers and everyone. Let's get a plan."

Redmond said a meeting between the premier and the Fishermen's Association, planned for Monday afternoon, doesn't go far enough. He said all parties and industry representatives have to be involved in order to come to a successful conclusion.