Government action needed to end violence against Mi’kmaq fisheries
Josie Palermo
October 23, 2020
The conflict between the commercial fisherman and the Mi’kmaq fisheries in Nova Scotia is another violent dispute involving Indigenous peoples in Canada. The Mi’kmaq, along with other Indigenous Canadians, continue to struggle to get their treaty rights recognized. The Mi’kmaq people were treated with cruelty and unjustly violated for participating in lobster fishing outside of the regular season. Justin Trudeau and the RCMP must act to halt the escalating violence. The Mi’kmaq have every right to fish in the waters of Nova Scotia to provide a moderate livelihood, as stated in the original treaties agreed upon in 1752.
The issue around Indigenous fishing rights in Nova Scotia originates over 20 years ago. Donald Marshall Jr was arrested in 1993 for fishing without a license and outside of the regular season. The case eventually made it to Canada’s supreme court, where a decision was made using 18th-century treaties as the guideline. The Supreme Court decision in 1999 sided with Marshall, stating that the Mi’kmaq and other Indigenous groups in Nova Scotia have the right to fish and maintain a moderate livelihood. The 1999 ruling certified fishing rights for Eastern Canada bands, including the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, and Passamaquoddy.
The responsibility is now on the Canadian government to clarify the court’s decision. The last two decades have seen several Canadian governments ignore this issue, resulting in the violence and racism we are now seeing. While the commercial fishermen argue that the Mi’kmaq fishing of lobster will endanger the crustacean population, the Mi’kmaq people and other experts are claiming otherwise.
Jeffery A. Hutchings, a biology professor at Dalhousie University, states,
“One can reasonably conclude that the mortality of lobsters in the area being fished by the Mi’kmaq is minimal relative to the mortality brought about by commercial fishermen.”
The Mi’kmaq are only using around 550 traps, which is in extreme contrast to the approximately 900,000 traps used by commercial companies, about 1700% more. The massive discrepancy in trap usage highlights the absurdity of the commercial fishermen’s argument. The 550 traps are quite literally a drop in the bucket, or this case, the ocean.
Commercial fishermen’s actions in South West Nova Scotia showed little regard for the aquatic life and instead delivered an unjustified hatred for the Mi’kmaq fisheries. During one recent attack on the Indigenous lobster pounds, paint thinner and cement powder was poured into tanks of live lobsters, immediately killing the crustaceans. Further attacks resulted in a lobster pound being burned to the ground, leaving one individual to be rushed to the hospital in critical condition. These attacks destroyed thousands of pounds of lobster. It is more dire to the commercial fisherman that the Mi’kmaq suffer than it is to ensure that the lobster population is stable.
The RCMP and the federal and provincial government’s inaction has allowed the violence to continue to the point where it has now had a significant effect on the Mi’kmaq livelihood. They cannot go to work without being met with groups of violent protesters and the fear of physical harm.
Just as Marshall was unjustly arrested in 1993, the same prejudice is inflicted on the Mi’kmaq today. It is clear without government action that the commercial fishermen will continue their violence and destruction. To do your part in ending the violence against the Mi’kmaq today, visit www.change.org and sign the petition to encourage Justin Trudeau to take action and help the Mi’kmaq and all Nova Scotia natives keep their right to fish.
References
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/mi-kmaq-lobster-dispute-a-conflict-brewing-since-the-1700s-1.5153568
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/20/world/canada/nova-scotia-lobster-war.html?auth=login-facebook
