National Post (National Edition)
Government inaction caused lobster dispute
INSTEAD OF FIGHTING BACK, BIDEN STAYED LARGELY INVISIBLE. — LIZETTE ALVAREZ
In his mandate letters to his ministers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the very straightforward statement: “There remains no more important relationship to me and to Canada than the one with Indigenous peoples.” Then, on Sept. 23, in the speech from the throne, we were told “The government will walk the shared path of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.” The prime minister has obviously made his intentions clear. But how well are those statements holding up?
So far, there is zero evidence that any of that rhetoric shaped the government of Canada's approach to the brewing conflict between Nova Scotia's Indigenous and commercial fishermen. There was almost no approach to shape — the feds didn't seem to have a strategy at all.
Given the stark commitment and grave tone of the prime minister's language, shouldn't the federal government have engaged with the commercial fisherman and the Mi'kmaq before the violence on the Weymouth, N.S., wharf?
The cabinet watched the whole thing unfold like they were binge watching a new CBC show.
Imagine the thrilling new drama, Lobster Trap, inspired by real events and probably starring Colm Feore as the determined but nice RCMP inspector, uncovering plots at the Digby Legion and facing down Lefty, the powerful Nova Scotia lobster mobster whose left hand is twice as big as his right. There is the wise and wily Mi'kmaq chief. There is Margaret, the love interest, who manages the day shift at Tim Hortons while rocking her hairnet. The intrigue builds to a dangerous but delicious lobster boil.
The federal cabinet watched it all from afar, hoping, I suspect, that everyone would just cool down and go home. It issued a media release but took no action. It was the prime minister's moment to show that he meant what he said. He said nothing and the violence came.
That's not to say that it's an easy issue. Previous governments also failed on this file, including my government. The Supreme Court's Marshall decision, which affirmed the Indigenous right to earn a “moderate livelihood” from the fishery, was handed down in 1999. The Chrétien, Martin and Harper governments all failed to find a consensus on a definition of “moderate livelihood.” For that, they are to blame.
It's also why Trudeau's Liberals should have dialed back the rhetoric while working for practical solutions to issues like the lobster fishery. They didn't. They went for a strategy of over-promising and under-delivering.
This is from their election platform from just a year ago: “The future of Canada's relationship with Indigenous peoples, and our ongoing journey of reconciliation, transcends any one government. But that should never be an excuse for inaction. We need to continue to move forward, to a place where Indigenous peoples in Canada are in control of their own destiny, making their own decisions about their future.”
But if there are no excuses for inaction on Indigenous decision-making, such as on the fishery, why didn't the Liberals act? Instead, it took violence and the destruction of the Mi'kmaq lobster pound to get a mediator on the scene. When political wavering creates a vacuum, don't be surprised if it's filled by burly men carrying clubs in their meaty fists.
In the past five years, the pandemic, the recession and rough politics have bloodied the prime minister's nose a half-dozen times. He has been set upon by reality in the dark alley of politics, and reality has administered a proper pounding.
He's better for it, but he's still a long way from being either Jean Chrétien or Stephen Harper when it comes to making decisions and taking action. We need that right now. Eight months into a pandemic and a recession, and with tempers close to the surface, the country needs a leader who isn't afraid to step up and take a stand.
The government should learn from the Nova Scotia fiasco. When the layoffs come, the foreclosure notice arrives or when there is a donnybrook on the wharf in Weymouth, the puffy election promises and the “we've got your back” assurances are like fingernails on a chalkboard.
Stow the rhetoric, Ottawa. The angry, the desperate and the downtrodden want leadership. They need to know the practical next steps. Then they need action.