A local conservation group is calling out the new Federal budget for cutting funding to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
SkeenaWild says that the Federal budget announced yesterday includes over $500 million in cuts to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) over four years.
That’s five times deeper than the $100 million in cuts over three years Stephen Harper proposed as part of his 2013 budget.
“Carney’s cuts will have devastating consequences for salmon, economies, and communities across Canada, including right here in the Skeena,” said Julia Hill, Executive Director of SkeenaWild Conservation Trust. “It shows a stunning lack of regard for our region and the things people here value.”
Kaitlin Yehle, SkeenaWild’s Fisheries Director, said “The government claims DFO will do more with less, but there’s absolutely no evidence that’s possible.”
Yehle says; “if past cuts are any indication, we’re likely to see the further degradation of Canada’s fisheries resources at a time when we should be doing more to rebuild them.”