Currently happening in Nova Scotia, Canada. Tensions rise as Indigenous fishermen try to exercise their Supreme Court ruled right to fish for a "moderate livelihood," and the dominant non-Indigenous commercial fishermen react with violence and racism. (Picture)
First Nations, Innu and Indigenous Peoples across Canada have faced this battle, for Treaty Rights for them to be upheld and honoured. It often is not. Canada is a beautiful country but the racism runs deep and is ever present as far back as the history of Canada has been.
First Nations, Indigenous, Aboriginal, Innuit, are the titles for those whose ancestors came from this country.
First Nations means that those people originated on that land and unfortunately, as history has proven, the land and resources were taken by the English and French settlers.
Non-Indigenous fishermen claim that Aboriginal fishermen are a threat to the conversation and preservation of lobster. And yet, the numbers do not lie.
Because it is not really about conservation. That is a smoke screen to conceal the true reasons.
This is one of MANY racial comments floating around social medias at this time. If you don't know what Residential School is....here's some sauce;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Indian_residential_school_system
Non-Indigenous fishermen cut traps, stole traps and gear set by the Indigenous boats, rammed other vessels, made threats of violence, 100 vessels entered the water in order to intimidate the First Nations fishermen. Local businesses refused service of food, fuel and gear to First Nations people.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54221635
https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/fisheries-conflict-mikmaw-chiefs-declare-state-of-emergency/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/mi-kmaq-self-regulated-moderate-livelihood-fishery-1.5727622
https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/publications/fisheries-peches/marshall-1999-eng.html
https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100028574/1529354437231
People are just trying to make a living is number one. But white people are tired of having the federal government side against them for everything and trashing these descendants of the people who founded the country. Plus "367,125 number settler traps"; that comment delegitimized your argument Christi Belcourt. As I indicated, we are fed up with having idiot comments like that thrown at us. We are NOT to be referred to as settlers, thinking you can get away with that plain anti-white sentiment.
ReplyDeleteThe Supreme Court, since the overthrow of our Government in 1982, has been making law. The Treaties were signed to give access not ownership. MacDonald made that very clear when he spoke of the government's responsibility toward Indians because they had been dispossessed of their land. The access was not for continuing their traditions, not for commercial operations. Whether this was the correct thing to do is a different question. Part of what is resented, rightly or wrongly, is that Indians and Metis do not have the seasonal restrictions that others do. Ironically, it is these small time fishers who warned the governments of the dangers of large trawlers and other large scale marine harvesting operations that have caused the collapse in stocks.
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