Mi’kmaw chiefs reject DFO’s $260M funding offer for fisheries access

The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs Rejects Federal Government’s Fisheries Funding Offer

The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs has made a bold decision to turn down an offer from the federal government that would have provided nearly $260 million over three years to help First Nations communities gain greater access to fisheries. In a news release issued on Friday, the 13 chiefs expressed concerns that the proposal was merely a rebranding of previously rejected initiatives and could potentially threaten their treaty rights.

Chief Wilbert Marshall stated, “This proposal raises serious alarms. DFO’s approach reminded us of earlier initiatives from the 2000s, which failed to respect and uphold our inherent rights. Our treaty right to fish is not a commercial fishery.” Chief Gerald Toney, who co-leads the assembly’s fisheries portfolio alongside Marshall, echoed these sentiments by highlighting the potential imposition of constraints on treaty rights.

The chiefs emphasized that the offer from the federal government could jeopardize the trust they have built within their communities and with their harvesters through their community-based harvest plans. They believe that entertaining these new agreements with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) under this proposal would compromise the progress they have made in establishing a better way forward.

The funding program from DFO, which was outlined in the federal government’s fall economic statement and presented to the chiefs by federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier in early December, aimed to provide financial support to 34 Mi’kmaw and Wolastoqey Nations and the Peskotomuhkati Nation at Skutik. The funds were intended for the purchase of licences, boats, and gear through a willing buyer-willing seller process, as well as for participation in negotiations with the federal government to establish long-term collaborative management agreements.

Unlike previous programs, this initiative would have allowed First Nations to directly handle negotiations with willing sellers. However, the assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw chiefs viewed the program as an attempt to assimilate their community members who engage in fishing activities into the same licence-based system as the non-Indigenous commercial fishery. They emphasized their preference for a Mi’kmaw-led process and rejected the notion of aligning with a system that does not align with their values and traditions.

The federal government has yet to respond to the chiefs’ decision to decline the funding offer. This bold stance taken by the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs underscores their commitment to upholding their treaty rights and ensuring that their communities retain autonomy and control over their fisheries.