Halibut Treaty
The Halibut Treaty was a 1923
Background
In 1907, Canada began to negotiate its own commercial treaties. Prior to that, treaties had been negotiated on behalf of the Canadian government by the British government in
The Canadian Prime Minister,
1922 proposal
In 1922, Canada proposed a treaty that dealt only with halibut. Named, the Convention for the Preservation of Halibut Fishery of the Northern Pacific Ocean, this treaty created the International Fisheries Commission (IFC), which was initially intended just as a study institute, not for management.[2][3] The treaty was birthed from Article VII of the previous salmon and halibut treaty.[7] The treaty proposed a season closed to commercial fishing from 16 November to 15 February. Those that were caught during this period faced penalties up to and including seizure.[3] By the 1920s, halibut stocks were noticeably lower to all parties and in 1923, the treaty was ratified by the United States Congress in 1923. The treaty went into effect in 1927.[2]
In a break with standard empire practice at the time, in March 1923 King demanded to sign the treaty alone, without a British countersignature. The British initially refused but relented when King threatened to send an independent Canadian diplomatic representative to
Result
It was the first treaty negotiated by and signed only by Canada, independent of Britain. The British had relented as King's intention to send a delegation to Washington, D.C. would have bypassed British authority.[3] The British had argued correctly, that what Canada had done had been illegal.[9] However, at the 1923 Imperial Conference the British believed the Halibut Treaty set a new precedent for the role of the British Dominions, which had emerged following a series of events, among them the Chanak Crisis.[10]
The ratification of the treaty paved the way for further British colony independence, including the
The lack of regulatory powers given to the IFC led to a continued decrease in halibut stocks.[3] In 1930, the commission was expanded to include regulatory powers in a second convention.[2] The treaty was reviewed and amended further in 1937, 1953 with a protocol created in 1979. The IFC was renamed the International Pacific Halibut Commission and expanded to six members.[3] Following the emergence of the Quebec sovereignty movement, the Halibut Treaty was put forward as a method to be used by the provincial government of Quebec to earn independence from Canada.[12][further explanation needed]
Citations
- ^ MacFarlane 1999, p. 51.
- ^ a b c d e f Crutchfield & Zellner 2010, p. 187.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i The Canadian Encyclopedia.
- ^ Levine 2012, p. 132.
- ^ a b c Hillmer & Granatstein 1994, p. 86.
- ^ MacFarlane 1999, p. 52.
- ^ Stacey 1981, pp. Chapter Two.
- ^ Levine 2012, pp. 132–133.
- ^ Holloway 2006, pp. 125–26.
- ^ Hillmer & Granatstein 1994, pp. 87, 95.
- ^ Holloway 2006, p. 126.
- ^ Hillmer & Granatstein 1994, p. 282.
Sources
- Crutchfield, James A.; Zellner, Arnold, eds. (2010). The Economics of Marine Resources and Conservation Policy: The Pacific Halibut Case Study With Commentary. Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-12194-9.
- Hillmer, Norman & Granatstein, J. L. (1994). Empire to Umpire. Toronto: Irwin Publishing. ISBN 0-7730-5439-1.
- Holloway, Steven Kendall (2006). Canadian Foreign Policy: Defining the National Interest. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press. ISBN 1-55111-816-5.
- Levine, Allan (2012) [2011]. King. London: Biteback Publishing. ISBN 978-184954-292-0.
- MacFarlane, John (1999). Ernest Lapointe and Quebec's Influence on Canadian Foreign Policy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-4487-5.
- Stacey, C.P. (1981). Canada and the Age of Conflict: Volume 2: 1921–1948 The Mackenzie King Era. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-2397-5.
- "Halibut Treaty". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Retrieved 30 January 2018.