A new report from the Senate is calling on the federal government to implement Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik and Peskotomuhkati rights-based fisheries on Canada’s East Coast and overhaul its approach to negotiations.
The Senate’s fisheries and oceans committee was asked to study the issue in February in response to violence that first erupted in southwest Nova Scotia in September 2020. The federal government has also refused to negotiate moderate livelihood fishery deals unless they are constrained within its regulated commercial season. The Senate committee says Indigenous rights-holders also have the right to co-manage and co-govern the fisheries.
The report says the public perception of what happened – including that of commercial fishers – was shaped by misinformation and contradictions that at times came from government.DFO issued a reminder on Monday that First Nations have the right to fish for limited purposes outside federally regulated fishing seasons, adding that hefty fines await those who prevent them from exercising that right.
The committee says future work should be based on “true collaboration and a shared decision-making framework.” It recommends reallocating some existing commercial fishing quotas to Indigenous communities and integrating Indigenous knowledge in conservation efforts.
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