The federal Liberal government has reversed all cuts to its salmon enhancement program and
Cariboo-Prince George MP Todd Doherty is crediting the public's outcry for the decision.
"Today, the Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard announced that all cuts to the salmonid enhancement program and the cancellation of the BC dive program would be reversed," the Conservative MP said in a statement issued Wednesday.
"It is thanks to our grassroots movement, our teachers, parents and our conservationists who wrote in and put pressure on the government that we are seeing a reversal of these terrible decisions to cut programs that keep our Canadians safe, and ensure that our oceans, rivers, lakes and streams remain healthy for the next generation."
The cuts had meant the end to a long-running Salmonids in the Classroom program, which teaches school children about the life cycle of the salmon. DFO had also planned to phase out its resource restoration unit and not renew contracts for fisheries specialists who provide technical support to volunteers working to restore salmon-bearing streams.
Both moves had impacts locally.
"The Liberal government must always remember that it is Canadians who elected them, and that bureaucratic decisions made from office towers in Ottawa can have significant, negative impacts on our communities," Doherty said. "I am so pleased that that this decision was reversed today, but I am concerned that this government is not taking into consideration the needs of everyday Canadians, before blindly making cuts to critical programs."
