Minister LeBlanc Pays Highly Anticipated Visit to Quebec
On April 26, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, began a tour of Quebec that took him to the Gaspé–Lower Saint Lawrence and to the Magdalen Islands.
The Minister first stopped in Gaspé, where his visit was highly anticipated. He held discussions with regional fishing industry and First Nations representatives. These round tables made it possible to explore various avenues to work more effectively with fish harvesters and to improve the economic situation of their communities.
It was with great pride that the Minister later announced the construction of eight new search and rescue boats for the Canadian Coast Guard. Six of these boats will be built at the Forillon Shipyard. Next November, the Magdalen Islands should receive a brand-new boat built in the Gaspé region and called Baie de Plaisance.
Minister LeBlanc continued his tour in the Magdalen Islands, where he was welcomed by the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Gaspésie–Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine. He began his visit by announcing that the federal government had committed to developing a long-term strategy to resolve the situation of the SS Corfu Island. In this regard, a significant grant will enable a study to be conducted very soon with a view to:
- acquiring more knowledge of the structural condition of the wreck, which sank in 1963;
- identifying the different environmental issues.
The Minister also took the opportunity on his visit to Cap-aux-Meules to meet with representatives of the fishing, mariculture and sealing industries.
It was an opportunity to better understand their concerns and to reflect on possible solutions to the problems raised.
Poor weather conditions unfortunately caused Mr. LeBlanc's tour to end early. His visit to Mont-Joli was therefore postponed to June 9. The Minister's visit to the Maurice Lamontagne Institute will be the subject of another article in the next issue of Infoceans.
Lucie Milot
Regional Director General's Office
In Gaspé, from left to right: Patrick Vincent, Regional Director General for Quebec; Sylvaine Mainville, Robert Côté's wife; Dominic LeBlanc, Minister; Robert Côté, Forillon Shipyard President and CEO; Éric Mauger, Conservation and Protection Supervisor for the Department
In the Magdalen Islands, the Minister announced that the federal government had committed to establishing a long-term strategy to resolve the situation of the SS Corfu Island
