Christian Peacemaker Teams condemns the violation of treaty rights and recent attacks against the lobster fishers of Sipekne’katik First Nation in Nova Scotia.
According to the Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1752, the Mi’kmaq “shall not be hindered from, but have free liberty of Hunting and Fishing” and “to bring for Sale to Halifax or any other Settlement within this Province, skins, feathers, fowl, fish or any other thing they shall have to sell, where they shall have liberty to dispose thereof to the best advantage” (Art. 4). The Supreme Court of Canada’s Marshall Decision in 1999 reinforced the Mi’kmaw people’s right to fish, and delineated the right to earn a “moderate livelihood” from fishing, hunting, and gathering.
However, CPT expresses strong concerns over the negotiation process between the government and the Mi’kmaw lobster fishers as they determine what a “moderate livelihood” means due to a conflict of interest of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard (DFO), Minister Bernadette Jordan.
Minister Bernadette Jordan is the Member of Parliament for the riding of South Shore-St. Mary’s, Nova Scotia. According to our partners on the ground, many of her non-Indigenous constituents participated in the violence and attacks on the Mi’kmaw lobster fishers, with a high level of local sympathy and support. Therefore, if Minister Jordan upholds the Treaty of 1752, she is at risk of losing her electoral support. This is a conflict of interest and jeopardizes Nation-to-Nation reconciliation. With Minister Jordan, the Canadian government does not have the capacity to uphold the Treaty of 1752 and the Supreme Court of Canada’s 1999 Marshall Decision. CPT does not question her skill and experience as the Minister. Instead, we are concerned about her conflict of interest, which jeopardizes a fair and just negotiation.
Earlier this week, CPT sent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a letter calling to remove Minister Bernadette Jordan from overseeing the DFO during the current fishing crisis in Nova Scotia.
We invite you to sign this letter and join the campaign to ensure that Treaty 1752 is upheld and that the Mi’kmaw right to a moderate livelihood is fair and just.
Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,
I am appalled by the recent settler violence against Mi’kmaw lobster fishers in Nova Scotia. They were exercising their rights according to the Treaty of 1752. It is the Canadian government’s responsibility to uphold Mi’kmaw treaty rights. Under your leadership, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) must do everything in their power to ensure the safety of the Mi’kmaw fisher and to uphold Treaty 1752.
In this regard, we call for the removal of Minister Bernadette Jordan from overseeing the DFO during the current fishing dispute in Nova Scotia due to her conflict of interest. As the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, she leads and directs the DFO. Over the past month, the DFO has stood idly by while settlers have attacked Mik’maw lobster fishers, and non-Indigenous lobster fishers have destroyed Mi’kmaw traps. Minister Bernadette should have ordered the DFO to act and prevent this violence, yet she remained idle. It appears to be due to her conflict of interest in the issue.
Minister Bernadette Jordan is the Member of Parliament for the riding of South Shore-St. Mary’s, Nova Scotia. According to our partners on the ground, many of her non-Indigenous constituents participated in the violence and attacks on the Mi’kmaw lobster fishers, with a high level of local sympathy and support. Therefore, if Minister Jordan upholds the Treaty of 1752, she is at risk of losing her electoral support. This conflict of interest jeopardizes the Nation-to-Nation reconciliation process. With Minister Jordan leading the DFO, the Canadian government does not have the capacity to uphold the Treaty of 1752 and the Supreme Court of Canada’s 1999 Marshall Decision. I am not calling into question her skill and experience as a Minister, but rather expressing concern over her conflict of interest.
Prime Minister Trudeau, I call on you to uphold the Treaty of 1752 and ensure the implementation of the Marshall Decision. To do so, Minister Bernadette Jordan must recuse herself from overseeing the DFO during this dispute, and if she refuses, we encourage you to remove her. Given her constituency’s demands, keeping her in this position is a conflict of interest and jeopardizes reconciliation across the country.
Sincerely,
Christian Peacemaker Teams condemns the violation of treaty rights and recent attacks against the lobster fishers of Sipekne’katik First Nation in Nova Scotia.
According to the Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1752, the Mi’kmaq “shall not be hindered from, but have free liberty of Hunting and Fishing” and “to bring for Sale to Halifax or any other Settlement within this Province, skins, feathers, fowl, fish or any other thing they shall have to sell, where they shall have liberty to dispose thereof to the best advantage” (Art. 4). The Supreme Court of Canada’s Marshall Decision in 1999 reinforced the Mi’kmaw people’s right to fish, and delineated the right to earn a “moderate livelihood” from fishing, hunting, and gathering.
However, CPT expresses strong concerns over the negotiation process between the government and the Mi’kmaw lobster fishers as they determine what a “moderate livelihood” means due to a conflict of interest of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard (DFO), Minister Bernadette Jordan.
Minister Bernadette Jordan is the Member of Parliament for the riding of South Shore-St. Mary’s, Nova Scotia. According to our partners on the ground, many of her non-Indigenous constituents participated in the violence and attacks on the Mi’kmaw lobster fishers, with a high level of local sympathy and support. Therefore, if Minister Jordan upholds the Treaty of 1752, she is at risk of losing her electoral support. This is a conflict of interest and jeopardizes Nation-to-Nation reconciliation. With Minister Jordan, the Canadian government does not have the capacity to uphold the Treaty of 1752 and the Supreme Court of Canada’s 1999 Marshall Decision. CPT does not question her skill and experience as the Minister. Instead, we are concerned about her conflict of interest, which jeopardizes a fair and just negotiation.
Earlier this week, CPT sent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a letter calling to remove Minister Bernadette Jordan from overseeing the DFO during the current fishing crisis in Nova Scotia.
We invite you to sign this letter and join the campaign to ensure that Treaty 1752 is upheld and that the Mi’kmaw right to a moderate livelihood is fair and just.
Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,
I am appalled by the recent settler violence against Mi’kmaw lobster fishers in Nova Scotia. They were exercising their rights according to the Treaty of 1752. It is the Canadian government’s responsibility to uphold Mi’kmaw treaty rights. Under your leadership, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) must do everything in their power to ensure the safety of the Mi’kmaw fisher and to uphold Treaty 1752.
In this regard, we call for the removal of Minister Bernadette Jordan from overseeing the DFO during the current fishing dispute in Nova Scotia due to her conflict of interest. As the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, she leads and directs the DFO. Over the past month, the DFO has stood idly by while settlers have attacked Mik’maw lobster fishers, and non-Indigenous lobster fishers have destroyed Mi’kmaw traps. Minister Bernadette should have ordered the DFO to act and prevent this violence, yet she remained idle. It appears to be due to her conflict of interest in the issue.
Minister Bernadette Jordan is the Member of Parliament for the riding of South Shore-St. Mary’s, Nova Scotia. According to our partners on the ground, many of her non-Indigenous constituents participated in the violence and attacks on the Mi’kmaw lobster fishers, with a high level of local sympathy and support. Therefore, if Minister Jordan upholds the Treaty of 1752, she is at risk of losing her electoral support. This conflict of interest jeopardizes the Nation-to-Nation reconciliation process. With Minister Jordan leading the DFO, the Canadian government does not have the capacity to uphold the Treaty of 1752 and the Supreme Court of Canada’s 1999 Marshall Decision. I am not calling into question her skill and experience as a Minister, but rather expressing concern over her conflict of interest.
Prime Minister Trudeau, I call on you to uphold the Treaty of 1752 and ensure the implementation of the Marshall Decision. To do so, Minister Bernadette Jordan must recuse herself from overseeing the DFO during this dispute, and if she refuses, we encourage you to remove her. Given her constituency’s demands, keeping her in this position is a conflict of interest and jeopardizes reconciliation across the country.
Sincerely,
CANADA
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