Business coalition wants a sea-change for Canadian aquaculture
Organisation representing a third of country's economy calls for modernised policies and licensing regulations as PM names the date for federal election
A western Canada business coalition representing more than one third of the country’s economy has said the country’s next government must modernise outdated aquaculture policies and amend licensing regulations.
Voters go to the polls on April 28 following Prime Minister Mark Carney’s announcement of a federal (general) election yesterday.
The Western Business Coalition was formed earlier this month by the Business Council of British Columbia, Business Council of Alberta, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, and the Business Council of Manitoba.
Its demands for aquaculture reform are included in a list of policy recommendations in its first initiative, Untapped Potential – Driving Canadian Prosperity Through Natural Resources (pages 35-37).
The initiative focuses on advocating for policies that drive investment, create jobs, and position Canada as a global leader in energy, agriculture, mining, forestry, and aquaculture.
We are limiting opportunities for the next generation by falling behind in our growth, productivity, and prosperity. It’s time to change course
BC Business Council president Laura Jones
“Canada has the untapped potential to be an economic superpower by leaning into policies that support the development of our resource sectors. Instead, we are limiting opportunities for the next generation by falling behind in our growth, productivity, and prosperity. It’s time to change course,” said Laura Jones, president and chief executive of the Business Council of BC.
Salmon farming in BC has been hammered by the policies of Canada’s incumbent Liberal-led government and its former leader, Justin Trudeau, who made a 2019 federal election pledge to transition salmon farming in BC from open net pens to closed containment.
Arbitrary farm closures announced by the then fisheries minister Bernadette Jordan in 2020 resulted in Cermaq Canada losing 30% of its production capacity in BC and Mowi Canada West losing 40%.
Last year the federal government announced that it was renewing licences for the remaining net pen farms for the last time, and that these would expire by the end of June 2029.
BC sector 'on its knees'
Brian Kingzett, executive director of BC Salmon Farmers Association, recently said the BC salmon industry is “basically on its knees”, adding that “the (salmon farming) companies are very close to leaving Canada right now because of the federal transition”.
Carney, who was sworn in as PM just 10 days ago, has appointed a new fisheries minister, Joanne Thompson, but she’s unlikely to have time to change things for the better for BC’s net pen farmers, even if she’s minded to do so.
In just over a month Carney must face Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, whose party had been leading in national polls since mid-2023, though recent polls suggest the race is now neck-and-neck.
US president Donald Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on imports from Canada and his calls for the country to become the 51st American state have united Canadians and led to an upsurge in anti-American sentiment. Carney, a former governor of the Bank of England, is growth-focused and is seen by many as having the experience and toughness to face down Trump. The departure of Trudeau, who had become deeply unpopular, has also boosted the Liberals’ chances.
