Six Nations Haudenosaunee hold rolling blockade for Mi'kmaw fishers in Nova Scotia

Haudenosaunee from Six Nations of the Grand River are holding a rolling demonstration from Caledonia into Stoney Creek as a dispute between commercial fishermen and Mi'kmaw fishers in southwest Nova Scotia continues to escalate.

Terrylynn Brant, a traditional seedkeeper of the Haudenosaunee, said on Tuesday the protest is meant to protect the inherent rights of Indigenous people.

"Our right to hunt, fish, gather, garden and keep seeds. These are the things that make us Indigenous people who we are because we live from the land," she explained.

"It's important for us to understand the more we learn to work together and be a part of the entire Earth and its environment, the better off we are ... It's time for the Mi'kmaw nation, they're standing up and we are here to support them."

The peaceful demonstration included a gathering and tobacco burning ceremony at Veteran's Park in Ohsweken, a village in Six Nations.

They have since started their rolling blockade which will run from Highway 403 near Copetown to the Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway and Red Hill Valley Parkway, and end at Stoney Creek's RCMP detachment.

Violence erupts over Indigenous fishing rights

Commercial fishermen in Nova Scotia have been protesting a "moderate livelihood" fishery that was launched by Sipekne'katik First Nation last month.  The fishery is operating outside the federally mandated commercial season, causing many to worry about its impact on lobster conservation. 

But the Mi'kmaw say they are exercising their treaty right to earn a moderate livelihood from fishing, a right affirmed by a 1999 Supreme Court ruling. The court later said Ottawa could regulate the Mi'kmaw fishery but must justify any restrictions it placed on it.

What’s behind the violent dispute over a N.S. lobster fishery

4 years ago

Duration 6:54

Some issues at the centre of a violent dispute over a First Nation lobster fishery in Nova Scotia date back to a decision about treaty rights made 20 years ago. The National’s Andrew Chang talks to Sipekne’katik First Nation Chief Mike Sack and Colin Sproul, who heads the Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen's Association.

Successive federal governments have also failed to define what is meant by a "moderate livelihood."

Last week, two lobster facilities in southwest Nova Scotia were targeted and vandalized by commercial fishermen. One of the facilities, located in Middle West Pubnico, N.S., was destroyed in a Saturday blaze RCMP have deemed suspicious. A Digby County, N.S., man has also been charged and arrested in relation to an assault on Sipekne'katik First Nation Chief Mike Sack.

Animals suffering because of conflict

Brant and the demonstrators have a letter addressed to the RCMP's commissioner, the federal Public Safety Minister and the federal Fisheries Minister, highlighting that "violence could have been prevented if proactive measures were [taken]."

"We should not forget that the animal world is the one being caused the most harm by this violence."

The letter also includes demands:

1. Taking immediate measures to protect Indigenous fishers.
2. Reviewing RCMP and police resources in Nova Scotia.
3. Educational resources provided to commercial fishers about Indigenous rights.