Elimination of fishermen's Ul is goal of new regulations
Changes in the Unemployment Insurance Act rammed through Parliament June 2 signal the beginning of a new attempt to deny fishermen unemployment insurance, says UFAWU welfare director Bert Ogden.
Fishermen's organizations had only two weeks to respond to the changes, which were introduced as a package May 18, debated for one day June 2 and given royal assent June 3.
New Democratic Party attempts to defend fishermen's interests by amending the legislation were turned back by a combined Liberal and Tory majority. The NDP was hampered further by the government's decision to imbed the negative changes in an omnibus bill that included some positive and necessary features.
The new law gives the government sweeping powers to implement regulations for fishermen that are different from those for other workers. The government has declared its intention to implement several regulations demanded by the Kirby Report.
The  Kirby  Report recom-
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mended, among other measures, creation of a regulation to eliminate unemployment insurance for fishermen by April, 1988. It would be replaced by an income stabilization scheme funded by fishermen and the federal government. Processors would be off the hook.
Odgen said June 17 that three aspects of the new laws were inspired by the Kirby Report, a Maritime version of the Pearse Report.
"It's deceitful for the government to suggest these changes protect fishermen," he said, "when in reality they want to keep fishermen in a spot where they can be eliminated from the unemployment insurance program."
Specifically, the legislation continues to make fishermen the only workers who must qualify for UIC in a special period. Other workers may qualify in the 52 weeks preceding their application.
Lawyers who have studied the law feel it will simply generate more challenges. Allan Mac-Lean, of the Vancouver Community Legal Assistance Society, believes one part of the changes may restore an old provision that required a fisherwo-man to declare her catch as part of her husband's whether she wanted to or not.
NDP fisheries critic Ted Miller (Nanaimo-Alberni) warned em-
ployment minister Lloyd Axworthy that "the provision in the regulations is only as good as the faith and willingness on behalf of the UI Commission and the government.
"The changes are not minor. Changes provided under this act could substantially change unemployment insurance benefits in the fishing industry."
The' NDP proposed amendments that, among other things, would have allowed fishermen to combine herring and salmon earnings to qualify for UI.
The government made no secret of the fact that some of the changes were based on recommendations of the Kirby Report designed to lay the groundwork for eventual elimination of unemployment insurance for fishermen.
Kirby recommended elimination of fishermen's UI by 1988, provided a replacement program of income stabilization was in place. Under this system, fishermen could receive off-season bonus payments or "cash credits" based on factors such as the "gross value of their landings, fish quality, season of catch or gear used."
Fishermen would also pay into a fund which would pay out further supplements to "smooth out the high and low points in individual gross revenues over a rolling five-year period."
DFO officers packing guns, inflexible on seine depth
would examine how the officers have been using the side arms during the carrying out of their duties.
Meanwhile, the DFO has announced they will not be considering the outcome of a court case which found the depth of nets should be measured in the water and not on the dock as it is presently done.
Dave Shutz, salmon co-ordina-tor for the DFO said no charge in the depth of seine nets will be allowed.
The department has announced they will appeal the case and if the appeal does not prove in their favor, it will simply change the regulations to ensure that nets are not allowed to go deeper.
The present depth is 28 fathoms.
A stepped-up campaign by DFO enforcement authorities has involved some officers boarding seine boats in Barkley Sound armed with pistols, despite official policy that the guns only be used in special situations and that they should be concealed.
Al Gibson, chief of management services • said the officers are instructed not to show the guns in normal duty and only to take them aboard other boats in special situations.
During extensive testing of seine net depths in Barkley, one seine crew member reported he was startled to look up at the officer measuring the net to see a gun strapped outside his rain gear.
Gibson said he was going to Barkley Sound next week and
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