Mi'kmaq chiefs in Nova Scotia reject latest federal offer for a livelihood fishery

Fishing boats remain at the wharf in Woods Harbour, N.S., on Nov. 26, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

HALIFAX — The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs says it has rejected an offer from the federal Fisheries Department regarding the establishment of livelihood fisheries.

The 13 chiefs issued a statement Friday saying the latest offer was a “rebranding” of previously rejected proposals.

The chiefs say Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier presented the offer in December to 36 First Nations across Mi’kmaq territories in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and eastern Quebec.

They say the offer represents a threat to the inherent treaty rights of Mi’kmaq First Nations, mainly because the minister has proposed a limited fishery that ignores their right to earn a moderate livelihood from fishing.

The statement from the chiefs says that instead of setting up a rights-based fishery, the minister wants to push Mi’kmaq harvesters into the licence-based system used by non-indigenous commercial fishers.

Chief Wilbert Marshall of the Potlotek First Nation says the proposal “raises serious alarms.”

Marshall, co-lead of the assembly’s fisheries portfolio, said Lebouthillier’s plan reminded him of proposals submitted more than 20 years ago.

“(Those proposals) failed to respect and uphold our inherent rights,” he said in a statement. “Our treaty right to fish is not a commercial fishery.”

Chief Gerald Toney of the Annapolis Valley First Nation said the Mi’kmaq First Nations have already built a better way forward by developing community-based harvest plans. Those plans, he said, “would be jeopardized if we even entertained these new agreements with (the Fisheries Department) under this proposal.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2025.