A review conducted by the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture into foreign investment in the Newfoundland and Labrador fish processing sector is now complete, and the final report is available to the public on the department website.
Based on the considerations identified throughout the review, the department will implement several measures to enhance fish processing licensing in Newfoundland and Labrador. More details on these measures can be found in backgrounder below.
The review began in May 2021 and included an in-depth analysis of:
- Information provided by fish processing companies;
- A jurisdictional scan of the prevalence of foreign investment in the fish processing sector and other resource sectors;
- Regulations around foreign investment in other fishing regions;
- Consideration of external risks to the fish processing sector; and,
- Consideration of obligations under international trade agreements and their impact on its engagement with foreign investors.
The review included consultations with key fish harvesting and processing sector stakeholder representatives, including the Fish Processing Licensing Board, the Association of Seafood Producers, the Professional Fish Harvesters Certification Board, Fish Food and Allied Workers – Unifor and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. In addition, the public had an opportunity to express their views through an online questionnaire at engageNL.
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“Maintaining a healthy and vibrant fish processing sector that provides maximum benefit to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians is a priority for this government. I am confident the steps we are taking to enhance our fish processing licensing process will ensure that our communities continue to receive the maximum benefit from our fishing resources. Thank you to department officials for their dedicated efforts to undertake this extensive review in support of our province’s valuable fishing sector.”
Honourable Derrick Bragg
Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture
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A Review of Foreign Investment in the Newfoundland and Labrador Fish Processing Sector
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Media contact
Craig Renouf
Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture
709-637-2923, 640-6922
craigrenouf@gov.nl.ca
BACKGROUNDER
Measures to Enhance Fish Processing Licensing in Newfoundland and Labrador
The review was initiated after a recommendation made by the Fish Processing Licensing Board in September 2020 to the Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture to examine the matter of foreign investment in the province’s fish-processing sector.
The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture will implement the following measures, stemming from the findings and considerations contained in the Report on Foreign Investment in the Newfoundland and Labrador Fish Processing Sector:
- Enhance the viable business plan criteria for consideration of applications for new fish processing licences, change of operator for existing licences, and the consolidation and transfer of licenses. These measures are meant to ensure that all licence holders are committed to the continuing productivity and health of the fish-processing sector.
- Add the criterion of Corporate Status and Conduct to the criteria for considering applications for new fish processing licences, change of operator for existing licences, and the consolidation and transfer of licenses. These measures are meant to ensure that only companies with a demonstrated history of good conduct will be eligible for a fish-processing licence, whether domestic or foreign.
- Replace the criterion of Corporate Concentration with the criterion of Competitiveness for considering applications for new fish processing licences, change of operator for existing licences, and the consolidation and transfer of licenses. These measures are meant to ensure that no company, foreign or domestic, gains such a dominant position in the sector that it is to the detriment of all other companies.
- Undertake an internal review of the fish processing licensing with the goal of enhancing data collection, analysis and reporting.