[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 100 (Wednesday, July 27, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 27, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
EXPRESSING DEEP ANGER AT ILLEGAL SEIZURE OF AMERICAN SCALLOPERS BY THE 
                          GOVERNMENT OF CANADA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Frank] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I want to express the very 
deep anger that I and many of my colleagues feel at the illegal seizure 
by the Government of Canada of some American scallopers in 
international waters.
  The fishermen of the Northeast, particularly of New Bedford, which I 
represent, are among the hardest-working, most dedicated people I have 
ever met. They have fallen on difficult economic times, because they 
have done their job too well. They have caught too many fish, too many 
scallops, according to the calculations.
  We are all working together to try to alleviate the distress in that 
situation by a variety of ways. One of the things people have done is 
to go into international waters, fully in conformance with the laws of 
the United States which cover them as U.S. citizens, to find new 
sources. The Canadian Government and the American Government have a 
difference of opinion about certain technical aspects of the scallops 
there, and the Canadian Government has now decided unilaterally to 
resort to the use of force and has physically seized in international 
waters law-abiding, peaceful Americans who were fully in compliance 
with the laws of our country.
  I am pleased that, after hearing from myself and others, the State 
Department has officially protested. I am pleased that the chairman of 
the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, the greatest expert on 
maritime issues, I believe, in this Congress, my colleague, the 
gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Studds], has joined us in this, and 
the Senators from our State are also joining us as well as others, I 
believe, because the Canadian Government simply must not be allowed 
unilaterally to go to war with unarmed Americans.
  Now, many of us have argued that we should be pushing more for the 
rule of law in the world, that unrestrained unilateral force is not the 
way to solve legitimate disputes. The Canadian Government has simply 
repudiated that view. They have used force unilaterally against 
Americans, and I want to stress this, Americans who are violating no 
law which those Americans are bound to obey. They are not violating 
American law, and they were in international waters.
  If Canada wishes to negotiate this, I hope we will. We have questions 
involving the Hague Line, the demarcation line between Canadian and 
American territorial waters, where the people I represent believe, with 
good reason, that has worked out much more harshly toward them than had 
once been anticipated. Perhaps there could be a reopening of that and 
renegotiation, taking into account various factors. All of those things 
could be discussed if we were discussing them.
  But for the Canadians unilaterally to send ships in and seize lawful 
American ships is unacceptable, and the State Department must continue 
its very vigorous project.
  And I will add, for a country which just urged us to ratify NAFTA, 
Canada is a full participant and beneficiary from NAFTA, for them 
within a few months to resort to unilateral force against Americans who 
are guilty of no crime except trying to earn their living in a 
difficult manner clearly belies the spirit we were told would be 
ushered in by NAFTA.
  I can tell you, as a Member of Congress, Mr. Speaker, and I know I am 
not alone here, that I will feel very disinclined to cooperate with 
matters of importance to the Government of Canada and the economy of 
Canada so long as they are maintaining this policy of illegal seizure 
of Americans.

                              {time}  1420

  There are a number of issues where the Canadian Government has 
expressed its opinion. We have all got letters from time to time. The 
Canadian Embassy in fact is the first Embassy to move itself nearer 
Congress. Most of the other Embassies are up by the State Department, 
further up, downtown. The Canadian Embassy moved toward Congress, a few 
blocks away, because they recognize the importance, apparently, of good 
relations with Congress.
  They have made a serious mistake by preying on these American ships 
if they think that is the way to get along with the Congress. I will 
tell you as a Member of Congress, as a member of the Committee on 
Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs, as a member of the Committee on the 
Judiciary, I will be doing everything I can, working with my 
colleagues, many of whom feel the same way, to let the Canadians know 
that cooperation must be a two-way street or a two-way ocean. They 
cannot use force unilaterally against us and expect cooperation and 
conciliation here in the House.
  I will continue to do everything I can to push the executive branch 
into the firmest possible action and to adopt policies here in the 
Congress which protect innocent, law-abiding Americans from this use of 
force.
  Canada has made an error. It can correct that error by releasing 
these people, reimbursing them for the costs unfairly imposed upon 
them, release their boats and dealing with this in a civilized and 
internationally lawful way.
  I will continue to insist that that be the way we do it.

                          ____________________