The DFO has ordered officers’ equipment to be improved to counter the threat of “criminals” with firearms

A labor investigator agrees with federal fisheries officials that heavily armed criminals pose a threat to their lives and has ordered managers to take immediate action to reduce the threat.

In a report submitted to the Department of Fisheries on Friday, the federal labor program compliance division concluded that “protective equipment and tactical protocols” currently used in fisheries investigations are inadequate.

The lead investigator’s finding, obtained by The Canadian Press, is in response to Fisheries Department enforcement officials denying employment applications under provisions of the Canada Labor Code.

The investigator concludes that fisheries officers in the coastal region must confront people with weapons, even in cases where intelligence indicates that the fisherman “has an assault rifle on board.”

The report also states that there are cases where “outlaw motorcycle gangs are armed with firearms.” It agrees with fisheries officials that “a number of the illegal fishers officers regularly interact with are convicted violent offenders and have threatened officials directly and on social media.”

Additionally, the report quotes officials as saying that there has been aggressive behavior at sea, including while enforcing Canadian sovereignty at the border with the United States, and that officials have “come under fire” while inspecting fishing gear. be.

The document does not indicate what steps the labor investigator took to confirm officers’ reports of the dangers they faced. Employment and Social Development Canada – which is responsible for the federal jobs program – declined to confirm the details of the report or comment further, citing “confidentiality reasons” that limit the release of information to employers and employees during an investigation .

“While the investigation is ongoing, the labor program is working closely with the employer to ensure the health and safety of employees and will maintain oversight until the matter is fully resolved,” spokeswoman Samuelle Carbonneau said in an emailed response.

The Work Program is responsible for protecting the rights and welfare of employees and employers in government-regulated workplaces.

The investigator’s instruction to the Federal Fisheries Ministry concludes that current protective equipment and tactical protocols are inadequate and therefore “it can reasonably be assumed that the officers’ enforcement duties pose a serious threat to their life and health.”

“Therefore, you are hereby directed to…take action to promptly correct the condition posing the hazard,” the document reads.

Doug Wentzell, the federal Fisheries Department’s maritime regional manager, said in an interview last week that a number of officials had refused to work at the site, but would not say how many. Despite the denial, he said, “The majority of our officers are on the ground in the region and we also supplement those resources with officers from other DFO regions.” He estimated there are about 100 field officers in the Maritimes.

Shimen Fayad, president of the Health and Environmental Workers Union, told The Canadian Press last week that Fisheries Department members “have been exposed to firearms such as automatic weapons from which their current body armor does not protect them.”

According to the Work Program website, if a labor investigator determines that “a danger exists” and orders are issued, a worker “may continue to refuse to work while the orders are being followed.”

However, Debbie Buott-Matheson, a spokesperson for the Department of Fisheries, said in an email that “our officers are returning to full duty.”

“We have taken action to implement the (work program) direction received,” she wrote.

“The health and safety of our fisheries officers remains our primary concern. Fisheries officers are dedicated, well-trained professionals and acts of violence or threats against them will not be tolerated.”

Veronique Chadillon-Farinacci, a professor of criminology at the University of Moncton, said in an interview Tuesday that more data from the federal Fisheries Department is needed to determine whether levels of violence and threats have increased.

The professor, who is currently conducting studies on conflict in the fishing industry, said “there are some signs, anecdotal signs of a very serious situation” in parts of the Maritimes.

“Perhaps the duties of fisheries officers will change and … they will be exposed to situations more similar to those of police officers,” she said.