Fishing boats from the Sipekne'katik First Nation prepare for the start of its self-regulated treaty lobster fishery in Saulnierville, N.S., Aug. 16, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew VaughanA Mi'kmaw lawyer from the community at the centre of a violent backlash over its self-governed lobster fishery says she's "very hopeful" about a new Senate report that calls for the full implementation of Indigenous fishing rights.
The issue boils down to the federal government's interpretation of the Supreme Court of Canada's 1999 Marshall Decision, which said the treaties of 1760-61 ensure the Mi'kmaq, Wolastoqiyik and Peskotomuhkati have a right to fish for what it called a moderate livelihood. Dan Christmas is on the Senate fisheries committee, and was the first Mi'kmaw appointed to the upper chamber. The permanent solution is to codify the Marshall Decision in Canadian law, he said.
Representatives of the commercial fishing industry say they're frustrated they weren't invited to speak to the Senate as it drafted the report on Indigenous rights. "That's based on a warped sense of reality that Atlantic Canada's fishing communities are responsible for the horrors of colonialism.""You have to look at the historical context where we did this to survive for thousands of years, then we were systematically excluded," he said. "It became unlawful for us to take care of ourselves, and that's wrong."
Give the indians all the fishing rights they want However, to honor their historic ways, if they want to fish outside of today's regulations, they must use traditional methods. And only fish for traditional seafood That means using sticks, rocks etc.
Shared 'Justin Pierre James Trudeau I hereby place you under citizens arrest for the following: - violating the Charter of Rights and Freedoms - illegally freezing Canadians bank accounts and seizing their assets - forcing vaccinations that maim and murder countless Canadians'
Indigenous people have no more right to this land than any Canadian born here. We aren't playing oly oly oxen free here, we shouldn't just start handing our country over to people who didn't work for it.
It’s not ironic that Justin’s dad has created a country with separate laws for Indigenous people. More division and more anger. Equal rights does not exist.