N.S. election: Leaders campaign outside Halifax Friday [Video]

HALIFAX –

Nova Scotia’s Liberal party is promising to establish a public inquiry into illegal fishing if the party is elected to govern on Nov. 26.

 Liberal Leader Zach Churchill issued a statement Friday saying the party would also introduce a minimum-fine policy for those caught buying illegally caught lobster.

There is already a maximum fine of $1 million for illegal fishing, but Churchill said more needs to be done. “We will establish a minimum fine to ensure that everybody who is buying illegal lobsters pays for putting the industry at risk,” he said.

Churchill, whose Liberals are trying to unseat the incumbent Progressive Conservatives led by Tim Houston, also committed to creating a dedicated fisheries enforcement unit and a separate commercial fisheries office.

“The lobster industry is a major economic driver in Nova Scotia,” Churchill said. “We’re ready to act with a zero-tolerance policy that will revoke licences for repeat offenders …