The provincial fisheries minister believes Prime Minister Mark Carney “basically agreed with the harvesters” when speaking about DFO while in the province earlier this week.

During a campaign stop in St. John’s Sunday night, with frustrated harvesters literally at his door, Carney committed that his government would look at the structure of DFO.

As Gerry Byrne explains, Carney’s assertion that a “fundamental review” is needed means that he agrees with the concerns of harvesters.

“He has trouble, he finds the science suspect. Because why would you call for a fundamental review and revision, an overhaul of DFO, as the Prime Minister of Canada, if you also had confidence in the decision-making framework of DFO, and in the decision-making on this particular issue at this particular point in time? The Prime Minister of Canada said he does not have confidence.”

While the federal Conservatives have not weighed in on the 3K issue specifically, Coast of Bays-Central-Notre Dame candidate Clifford Small has said the party will revive the seal harvest and protect fish stocks.

The NDP have not yet commented on the issue.