Thanks to you, Mr. Chair, and also to the rest of the committee, for allowing me to speak to you today.
My name is Arnold Nagy. I'm here on behalf of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union--Canadian Auto Workers.
I have worked in the fishing industry for the past 32 years. I am the president of Local 31 of our union and also the chair of its environment committee. All the work done by our environment committee is done on a volunteer basis. Any costs are fully paid for by our membership from the dues we collect from them.
The fishing industry has been the one economic constant on the north coast for over 100 years, providing employment to countless generations of shore workers and fishermen. These plant workers and fishermen don't come only from the community of Prince Rupert where I live. Many also come from the surrounding first nation and non-first-nations communities, including some that are hundreds of miles up the Skeena River.
On average, the fishing industry provides $135 million a year to the economies of these areas. With the collapse of the forest industry in British Columbia, the fishing industry is now the largest private employer in the north and central coasts of British Columbia.
The UFAWU has for many years defended both the freshwater and marine environments that our fisheries depend on. Whether it has been pesticide spraying, forestry practices, offshore oil and gas exploration, coal-bed methane drilling, or dams on important rivers, we have been standing up for the environment of our fish resource, which we depend on to make our living. That is why we are presenting our concerns to you today.
I once again find myself having to put forward our position in order to make sure our concerns are heard. We are witnessing an unprecedented gold rush mentality in the north that threatens the future of the fishing industry, the many coastal communities that depend on it, and the people who work in it.
Over the years, we have witnessed many proposals that pose risks to the Skeena River and the surrounding areas, where salmon runs could be wiped out forever. Every time we have raised our concerns, we have been called fearmongers or accused of spreading misinformation. I would suggest that protecting our livelihoods and the environment we depend on is the responsible thing to do if we wish to preserve this industry for future generations.
Proposals have recently been put forward by Shell to drill for coal-bed methane at the confluence of the Nass, the Stikine, and the Skeena Rivers; it is also known as the Klappan or Sacred Headwaters. One accident on this proposed project would wipe out three high-producing salmon rivers and ruin the livelihoods of everyone who depends on these rivers to make their living. The tourism industry, the guides, the entire northern commercial fishing industry—all these would be wiped out.
Today, once again, the issue of pipelines and oil tankers has raised its ugly head, with little concern for the local economies and the industries that would be affected by an accident. The bottom line is to build the two pipelines and move bitumen to Kitimat, to be loaded onto oil tankers along with condensate and shipped to Alberta at whatever cost.
I find it interesting, but not surprising, to hear those interested in seeing an oil port in Kitimat trying to sell us on the safety of these proposals, even while Mr. Scott Vaughan, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, raises the alarm that Canada cannot deal with a major oil spill emanating from a tanker. He was troubled by the government's lack of readiness, given that one oil spill is reported to the Canadian Coast Guard every day.
Mr. Chairman, these jobs in the fishing industry are permanent, high-paying jobs that employ thousands of British Columbia residents. The pipeline jobs will create short-term construction, but after they are done, there will not be many full-time jobs created by any projects of this kind.
Does it really make sense not to take a serious look at how we are being caught up in this gold rush mentality to maximize profits at any cost? I would suggest not. We must be willing to approach these issues with the common sense that is required to protect our environment and the many communities that will be affected by the decisions made. We have paid a very heavy economic price to rebuild our salmon resource and other fish resources here in the north, and our communities cannot afford another economic hit, which we will take if the commercial fishery is damaged.
As a member of the Haida nations, I can say that the fishing industry has been an important part of my family's history for well over 100 years and the fisheries resource for well over 10,000 years. I raise this issue because the issue of compensation always raises its head as the way to alleviate the fear of any spills or damage to the environment when an accident occurs. I have spent many a night thinking about this question and trying to figure out something that nobody is willing to answer.
The question is, Mr. Chair, when an accident happens, how is money going to compensate the first nations peoples for 10,000 years of culture that has been destroyed? As I say, I cannot find the answer, and I cannot find anybody willing to give me that answer.
Secondly, we in the fishing industry do not want to live off compensation payments. We want to catch fish. We want to process them in our plants. That's what we do best, and that's why we are the best in the world at what we do. The Canadian canned salmon market fish is the best in the world and is considered so. The Skeena River sockeye is the only can of fish that has its own identity code. It is identified as fish caught in the Skeena River because of the supreme quality of the product going into that can.
Working in the fishing industry is a job we want to do for many generations to come, and we want to be able to pass it on to future generations. We have the opportunity today to help inform you of our concerns so you can help us to protect our livelihoods and understand our concerns in that regard.
As Canadians, we cannot afford to follow the gold rush mentality we are all witnessing. We have to be able to take back control, step back, and make sure that our future communities and livelihoods are not put at risk to increase the profit margin of shareholders or big companies.
I have been accused in the past, Mr. Chair, of being used to further American interests to access our oil by working to have oil tanker bans and by working against the Enbridge pipeline project. I would like to assure the committee that this is the farthest thing from what I am working towards. My concern is to stand up for the communities and the industry in which I make my living, and for the environment, a healthy environment that provides these economic opportunities in the community I live in.
I would like to let the committee know that I also work as a longshoreman in the Port of Prince Rupert. We depend on the shipping industry for that work. I would like to let you know that I have received nothing but good comments from the people I work with at Maher Terminals on the efforts we are making in our union to raise the issue of our coastal communities and to protect them, their economies, and the environment on which we all depend so much here in the north.
Mr. Chair, the first nations say that you cannot separate fish from people. The well-being of our communities and that of the sea are inseparable. Fishermen say that the sea is part of their soul.
Commercial fishery members are optimistic that sanity will prevail and that our communities will continue to profit from an unspoiled marine habitat, abundant fish stocks, and healthy fisheries for many generations to come.
In closing, Mr. Chair, I'd like to thank you for your time in allowing me to speak on this issue.