Trudeau leaves little doubt that government will side with Indigenous fishers,

Trudeau leaves little doubt government sides with Indigenous fishers

OTTAWA– Prime Minister Justin Trudeau left little doubt Monday evening that his government will side with Indigenous fishers in southwest Nova Scotia as tensions in the commercial lobster fishery there remain high.

In an emergency debate in Parliament, Trudeau condemned recent violent attacks on the Mi’kmaq and their lobster fishing operations in Middle West Pubnico and New Edinburgh.

“There is a treaty right to fish, and it is a right that was affirmed by the Supreme Court in the Marshall decision 21 years ago. Above all, there is a right to live and fish in peace, without being subject to threats or racism,” Trudeau told MPs.

“I know some harvesters have had a challenging commercial fishing season this year ... Well, our government will continue to ensure conservation underpins our decisions while we continue to implement First Nations’ rights.”

Critics have called on the federal government to show leadership on the issue, more than 20 years after the Supreme Court ruled Indigenous people have the right to earn a “moderate living” from fishing.

But what constitutes a “moderate living” has not been clearly defined, and there is only one lobster stock in southwest Nova Scotia — leading to concerns from non-Indigenous fishers that the Mi’kmaq fishery could jeopardize their livelihoods.

Those concerns have come into sharp focus with recent incidents of violence, intimidation and suspected arson against the emerging Indigenous fishery in the coastal communities.

The federal government has sent in more RCMP officers — whose ability to manage the situation has been called into question — and has committed to continued talks in an attempt to de-escalate the conflict.

“What we have here is an opportunity to bridge the divisions in our communities, to have First Nations and commercial harvesters fishing alongside each other. This is achievable,” said Bernadette Jordan, the federal fisheries minister, in a press conference Monday.

“This will strengthen our fishery, but to do that we need to have space, time and trust.”

Time and trust in southwest Nova Scotia seem to be in short supply.

A lobster storage facility in Middle West Pubnico was burned to the ground Friday night, the latest incident in the increasingly tense standoff that has seen the chief of the Sipekne’katik First Nation assaulted, Indigenous fishers intimidated and their property destroyed.

The Indigenous fishery relies on a 1999 Supreme Court decision that acknowledged the rights of Indigenous people to earn a “moderate livelihood” from the sea. The definition — and regulation — of what constitutes a “moderate livelihood” remains unresolved 20 years after the court ruling, while the commercial industry remains tightly regulated for the area’s predominantly white commercial fishers.

Conservative MP Chris d’Entremont, a former provincial fisheries minister who represents the West Nova riding, told the Star that commercial fishers are concerned about the sustainability of the lobster stock and their livelihoods.

“There’s only one stock of lobsters in southwest Nova Scotia. People are worried about how that’s going to effect the fishery at large,” d’Entremont said on Monday.

“They’re angry about it. They’re beyond concerned, now they’re angry. But to call them racists or to call them terrorists is stretching it a little bit. There has been some confrontation, but I think they come from a concerned place rather than a racist place.”

D’Entremont says the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans should recommit to enforcement actions in southwest Nova Scotia, and facilitate a “grown-up discussion” on Indigenous “moderate livelihood” fisheries and the effect on lobster stock.

While the federal government is promising to continue negotiations between Ottawa, the commercial fishers and the Mi’kmaq, the RCMP is facing intense scrutiny about its ability to maintain calm and protect Indigenous fishers from abuse and intimidation.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair likened the enhanced police presence in the area to a “peacekeeping” mission Monday, after approving the transfer of officers from neighbouring Atlantic Provinces.

But Sipekne’katik Chief Mike Sack and others have raised questions about the Mounties’ ability to handle the situation, with Sack calling for the military to come in and maintain order.

“They’re doing whatever they want and getting away with it,” Sack told The Canadian Press over the weekend. “We need the military to come step in to keep the peace.”

Blair rejected that suggestion Monday. “First of all this isn’t a military operation, it is a peacekeeping operation,” he said. “We have taken steps necessary to ensure that they have adequate resources to do the job.”