P.E.I. expectations high with minister at Fisheries and Oceans

Gail Shea was appointed as federal minister of  Fisheries and Oceans on Thursday, becoming P.E.I.'s first cabinet minister since the Conservative party came to power.

While looking forward to starting, Shea said she realized this is not a glamorous portfolio.

"It's not a department that will have many ribbon-cutting ceremonies; it's a department where there's going to be a lot of hard work," she said.

P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz said he's hopeful Shea's appointment will be good for the province,

"This is one of the positions that is obviously coveted here in Atlantic Canada, and I truly believe it is P.E.I.'s turn to have a minister of Fisheries from our province," said Ghiz.

"We have a lot of issues in P.E.I. that have to be dealt with … the seiners and trawlers in our waters, lobster buy-back program, increased quota issues, fixing up our harbours. I'm very excited that hopefully we're going to have an opportunity now to get some of these issues addressed."

Ghiz said in the past other ministers of Fisheries have looked out for fishermen in their own provinces, and he's hoping Shea will follow suit.

'It's the first time P.E.I. has had a federal fisheries minister since … the 1950s.' — Ed Frenette, P.E.I. Fishermen's Association

The P.E.I. Fishermen's Association is also hoping for good things from Shea's appointment.

A number of fishermen were attending a meeting at the association office this morning when the news came in, and executive director Ed Frenette said there was a lot of excitement.

"Everyone is elated," said Frenette.

"I think it's the first time P.E.I. has had a federal fisheries minister since, what, the 1950s perhaps with Angus MacLean? So it has been a long, long time and I think the fishermen of Prince Edward Island are to be well served."

Association president Kenny Drake said it will be good to have a familiar face in the minister's office.

"Gail is someone that we had hoped would be the minister, and she is very approachable. She has been as a provincial rep, and I think she'll do a great job," said Drake.

Wants to be fair to all regions

Both Drake and Frenette are looking forward to working with a minister they know, and who in turn knows the issues affecting PEI fishermen.

Perhaps in anticipation of expectations, Shea seemed already to be addressing the issue of regionalism in her office.

"I believe that you have to be fair to all regions of the country," she said. "I like to take the approach of consultation prior to decisions being made."

The Tories had been shut out of Prince Edward Island on the federal level since 1988, and so when they formed the government in 2006, Nova Scotia MP Peter MacKay was appointed to represent P.E.I.

Shea, a former provincial cabinet minister, was widely expected to be appointed to cabinet if she won the western P.E.I. riding of Egmont, which she did over former P.E.I. premier Keith Milligan by 55 votes in a recount.