Fisheries Minister Gerry Byrne says he delayed the setting of crab prices this season out of empathy for the FFAW’s president and lead negotiator, Dwan Street.
But he says he was shocked that the ASP’s Jeff Loder didn’t seem to care.
The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Byrne went beyond his authority in delaying the price-setting for crab by two weeks. He did it at the request of the FFAW, who said Street was ill.
But the court said the minister can only intervene in concert with both sides, noting the Association of Seafood Producers should’ve been consulted.
Asked by VOCM why he didn’t contact them, Byrne said ASP and its executive director didn’t deserve the courtesy.
“You could have knocked me over with a feather when Jeff Loder decided that, ‘I don’t care, I’ve got an event, I want this to proceed with or without president Street,’ … that somebody would be so unempathetic to that circumstance,” he said.
“That’s why I didn’t even feel there was a need to consult with the ASP at that point in time. I just thought it was the right thing to do, that any human being would just accept was the right thing to do.”
The judge said he didn’t believe Byrne had any “improper motive” in delaying the date, concluding he felt he could do so in the circumstances.
Association of Seafood Producers executive director Jeff Loder. (VOCM News)
Loder, meanwhile, has told media he doesn’t question Street’s illness, and wishes her the best.
But he and lawyers for seafood processors have noted there are 20-30 other union negotiators who are briefed and should be up to the task, and that any delays are impacting jobs and markets.
A price for this year’s snow crab is expected to be set by the panel this week.
