Following our colleagues at Dalhousie University’s Department of Biology’s recent statement of solidarity, the IOF wishes to express that it too stands with Mi’kmaw fishers.
The Canadian courts have unambiguously recognized the right of the Indigenous fishers to fish to support their livelihoods, and we respect the rule of law and abhor the use of violence for settling disputes.
We strongly denounce the acts of violence perpetrated against Mi’kmaw harvesters pursuing their rights, and also denounce any claim that such actions are justified in the name of conservation. There is no credibility on biological grounds to the conservation concerns, given the terms of the fishery initiated by the Mi’kmaw community.
We call on the Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia, and the RCMP, to support and protect Mi’kmaw harvesters as they pursue their legal fishery. We further call upon Minister Jordan of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to support the creation of a fisheries management regime that embraces Mi’kmaw rights and establishes new, effective measures for conservation and protection of livelihoods of all harvesters in coastal communities.