Statement of Solidarity with the Mi’kmaq Nation
Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) territories/ Vancouver, BC – October 30, 2020
VAFF and #Elimin8hate stand in solidarity with the Mi’kmaq Nation and strongly condemn the violent and racist acts that non-Indigenous fishers and their allies have inflicted on the Mi’kmaq. These illegal acts threaten the Mi’kmaq Nation’s liberty and security, and the sovereignty of all First Nations.
The Mi’kmaq Nation’s right to fish for a moderate livelihood was upheld in the Supreme Court of Canada’s 1999 landmark R. v. Marshall decision. The decision confirmed that the Mi’kmaq Treaties, which permit fishing and trade activities, are protected under section 35 of the Canadian Constitution.
VAFF and #Elimin8hate stand in support of the Mi’kmaq fishers asserting their treaty right to fish for a moderate livelihood. Hindering any constitutionally protected rights, including those of the Mi’kmaq, is a serious human rights issue. We are calling on the federal and Nova Scotian governments to protect the liberty and security of First Nations by taking swift action to prosecute acts of hatred and violence against the Mi’kmaq Nation and the Sipekne’katik Band. None of us are truly free until all of us are free.
Here are additional resources and important actions you can take to support Mi’kmaq treaty rights and livelihood fisheries.
PETITION
CALL FOR ACTION BY CONTACTING:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: pm@pm.gc.ca, 613.992.4211
Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Coast Guard, Bernadette Jordan: Bernadette.jordan@parl.gc.ca, 613.996.0877
Premier of Nova Scotia, Stephen McNeil: premier@novascotia.ca, 902.424.6600
FURTHER READING
Mi’kmaw Fishing Rights (APTN)
The Facts Behind Mi’kmaw Fishing Rights (APTN, September 22, 2020)
Mi’kmaq fisheries under attack: The story in Nova Scotia so far, and the treaty rights behind it (The Globe and Mail, October 19, 2020)
Mi’kmaw Fishery Dispute Is Not About Conservation, Scientists Say (Hakai Magazine, October 9, 2020)
Shelley Denny: Making room for Mi’kmaw livelihood fishery easier than you think (The Chronicle Herald, October 14, 2020)
Sipekne’katik fishers push on amid politicians’ debate and RCMP checkpoints: ‘I’m here to provide for my sons and daughters’ (The Star, October 20, 2020)