Seafood producers confident in court challenge against N.L. government, fisheries union

Elizabeth Whitten · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 03, 2025 9:26 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

The Association of Seafood Producers had its archetypal time successful tribunal connected Wednesday, challenging the Newfoundland and Labrador authorities and fisheries national implicit what it calls "political interference" during terms mounting negotiations up of the snowfall crab season.

The tribunal situation was prompted erstwhile Fisheries Minister Gerry Byrne moved the price mounting deadline to April 13, pursuing a petition from the Fish, Food and Allied Workers union. The ASP says Byrne acted contrary to the Fishing Industry Collective Bargaining Act and turned to the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador to quash the day change.

"If the minister's determination is quashed, and we expect it to beryllium due to the fact that helium broke the law, past we're successful the concern wherever we don't person a minister's date," ASP enforcement manager Jeff Loder told reporters extracurricular of the tribunal location connected Wednesday.

"The Supreme Court can't nonstop a sheet day oregon can't direct, necessarily, a minister's date. So this is the chaos that's created erstwhile you person interference successful a process."

Wednesday's tribunal quality was focused connected the Fishing Industry Collective Bargaining Act and whether oregon not the curate tin alteration the day without input from some the FFAW and ASP.

Justice Alexander MacDonald said helium volition person a determination adjacent week.

'Wasted time'

FFAW lawyer Ray Critch called the tribunal situation a discarded of time, wealth and energy. He says the minister tin determination the day without input from some sides.

"We deliberation the authorities is reasonably wide that helium does person authorization and much importantly, arsenic a applicable reality, the curate has to beryllium capable to set the day erstwhile determination are exigency circumstances similar a important linchpin negotiator falling ill," helium said.

Snow crab is Newfoundland and Labrador's largest and astir lucrative fishery, said Critch, and that price negotiations volition continue. He says he's ready for a sheet gathering connected Sunday oregon Monday.

If the determination for date mounting is successful the minister's hands, Critch said that volition forestall 1 enactment from being capable to "hijack" the process.

Tariff troubles

Another looming occupation implicit the terms mounting negotiations has been U.S. President Donald Trump, his threats of tariffs and the ambiguity implicit what products could beryllium impacted.

Loder says determination has to beryllium a mechanism to woody with tariffs and the ASP was proposing 2 prices, depending connected whether tariffs are enacted.

Later connected Wednesday, Trump revealed the countries helium was targeting successful his expanding commercialized war, which did not see Canada. There are also exceptions for importers who tin beryllium the products they're bringing successful from Canada are compliant with the U.S.-Canada-Mexico Agreement.

"After today, ASP's presumption volition alteration whether determination are tariffs oregon not — however we woody with tariffs has to beryllium into the corporate statement oregon I volition not beryllium signing it," said Loder up of Trump's announcement.

Critch said 1 occupation with the on-again-off-again tariff threats is the uncertainty of however the marketplace volition absolve the caller costs. He said consumers, distributors, processors and FFAW members volition apt carnivore immoderate of those costs.

"Our presumption is determination has to beryllium immoderate accounting for tariffs and we're gathering that into our connection arsenic well. But however those tariffs play out, cipher knows yet," said Critch.

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