An Exploration of the 2020 Nova Scotia Indigenous fishery dispute
- Note: article subject to change as new events unfold
“A very old man stood up and said, “I don’t believe what you are saying, does the Queen feel her breasts are big enough, to care for us all, there are many of us people.” The government official replied to him immediately, “Yes, she has large breasts, enough so there will never be a shortage.” The old man replied, “You are telling us this, you will never be able to treat us the way you are treated by Manito. Look at this land with its abundance of food for us, you’ll never be able to match that, you will not be able to do this.”
- From Roan, 1974: 2–3; Bull, 1973: 3.
The quote above is said to have taken place during the 1876 Treaty 6 talks between the Nehiyawak (Cree), Assiniboine, and Ojibwa First Nations leaders and representatives of the British Crown at the Fort Pitt area of what is now Saskatchewan. It is a striking quote, especially since the government official believed the Nêhiyaw (Cree) old man who stood up to express his misgivings was insane, not understand what the Elder was trying to communicate. I learned about this quote, and about treaty law, in the Indigenous Canada free MOOC online course at https://www.coursera.org/learn/indigenous-canada. I could not recommend this course enough!
I wanted to put an article together for myself as well as for any others who want to better understand the current fishery dispute in Nova Scotia, and the aggression by some non-native commercial fishers toward Indigenous fishers in the area. This article is a consolidation of about 15–20 media articles from various sources. They are cited in-text or listed below in the Resources section.
Before I get started, I want to clarify that I am a white Canadian citizen from settler and immigrant stock. I grew up in the National Capital Region of Canada. My academic background is in Museology. I support Indigenous people who strive to live a decolonized life, and I believe that First Nations are sovereign.
The land now called Canada is the traditional territory of many Indigenous groups for many thousands of years, or ‘time immemorial’. Millions of lives were supported by individual and community-led hunting, fishing, cultivated food forests, agriculture, and thriving trade. Indigenous people made trade and settled across the American continent, and they did so while supporting the biodiversity of the land for future generations.
Enter Canada, which has existed as a country for just over 150 years. Settlers have managed to eviscerate huge portions of fertile lands in that time. I lived in Toronto for 5 years, and this following description of the area around Lake Ontario struck me particularly: Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, the Indigenous writer and activist, writes the following in her wonderful book As We Have Always Done:
“[The] Chi’Niibish had its own resident population of salmon […] we drank directly from the lakes, and that was a good, health thing to do. There was a large population of eels […] there was an ancient old-growth forest of white pine that stretched from Curve Lake down to the shore of Lake Ontario […] there were tallgrass prairies and black oak savannas where Peterborough stands today. The lakes were teeming with minomiin, or wild rice. The land was dotted with sugar bushes, the lakers were full of fish. It sounds idyllic, because compared to now it was idyllic” (3).
I think that many people in Canada believe that the nature we see is true Canadian wilderness. Some of it is, of course, but in area like Southwestern Ontario, most of it is gone. I live near the Gatineau Parks, and I used to believe that I walked through authentic Canadian forests. In a sense, I do. Most of the wilds we see near habitated areas of Canada are young forests, post-settlement forests. They are all new-growth after the lumber industry stripped the land. In Toronto, many people weep when an old oak dies. This is because they are so rare. Many of the trees on our cities are non-native; they were brought from as far as parts of Asia and Russia because they are more resistant to pests and mold. The problem is, that they cannot sustain native flora and fauna nearly as well as native trees. They bring their own pests and problems, and the delicate balance is disrupted.
However, many Canadians accept, perhaps unconsciously, that this is just the way it is. That there is a certain way things are done, in the so-called management of our natural world, which takes precedent only because it exists that way now. To live in a more adaptive and authentic way, to question and resist Canadian laws when they are absurd, to resist dispossession, and to decide to live traditionally, this is something that Leanne Betasamosake Simpson calls radical Indigenous resistance.
Merely choosing to live a little outside of the confines of the settler framework is a brave act of resistance. We see this all the time in the news when we hear about Indigenous people being arrested, fined, threatened, intimidated, and hurt by their neighbours and police for doing what their communities have always done, for too many generations to count. We see this in the violence done to trans people, to gay and lesbian people, to Black people and People of Colour, or anyone who does not fit the homogenous Canadian ideal. As someone from settler-stock, I have grappled with how to live an authentic life, radically resistant to the same forces that turned lands of plenty into bland simulacra for convenient consumption. I want the people who managed this land for 1000+ generations to be able to hunt muskrat, eels, and lobster whenever the hell they way to, in whatever the hell way they want to. It is their moral and legal right.
Every single Canadian should be looking at what is happening right now in Atlantic Canada, at the violence against Indigenous fishers by commercial non-native fishers. It may feel intimidating for me, a city mouse, to try to dip into the complex and decades-long disputes and grudges in rural fishing towns, but I couldn’t let myself off the hook. If someone like me can understand what the heck is happening in Nova Scotia right now, then anybody can!
For this reason I have cast my net for as many resources as I reasonably could to bring a clearer understanding of what is happening in Nova Scotia, why it is important, and what we can all do to make a difference. It’s a lengthy read but I promise you it is pretty captivating!
Here is a picture of a lobster to get us started:
Okay, 👏 let’s get started 👏:
What is the so-called Mi’kmaq Fishery Dispute?
This is one of the more specific, google-able terms: “Mi’kmaq fishery dispute”. More accurately, one could use : “white man temper tantrum” + “lobster”. At this point, just Google “lobster” and you will see some startling images of fires, fist fights, boats, and piles of dead crustaceans. Every hour there seems to be new developments and it is hard to keep up.
In a nutshell:
In St. Mary’s Bay, Nova Scotia (see the map below), the Sipekne’katik First Nation opened a small lobster fishery. Sipekne’katik First Nation is the largest Mi’kmaq band in Nova Scotia, and the Eastern Maritime Provinces are the traditional occupied land of the Mi’kmaq people. The fishery distributed 11 licenses to date, to people in their band who met certain requirements to fish for lobster. The licenses are good for 50 lobster traps each. You still with me? This is important later.
The fishery is likely the first of its kind in the province. It is a Mi’kmaq-regulated fishery. All commercial lobster fisheries in Canada must operate under the regulations of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), a federal department of the Government of Canada (GOC). Part of the DFO regulations is that lobster are not to be harvested in the summer months (between May and November). This is because the lobster are moulting and breeding during this time. However, the 11 licensed Mi’kmaq fishers intend to fish year-round.
Why is this Indigenous fishery permitted outside of the DFO regulations? Well, in 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada made a decision that Donald Marshall Jr., a Mi’kmaw man, had the right to fish eel outside of season. this was a landmark decision, based on the treaty rights laid down in the 17th century between the Mi’kmaq and the British Crown. By treaty right, the Mi’kmaq can also hunt lobster any time they please, as individuals, in order to uphold a “modest livelihood”. One problem is that this idea of what a “modest livelihood” is was never actually determined by the British Crown, by the DFO, nor the Mi’kmaq people, nor by the province, nor anyone! The term is vague and undefined. However- this is key- in Nova Scotia, by provincial law, buyers cannot purchase lobster that was caught by someone without a DFO-issued license.
This means that the Sipekne’katik First Nation opened a fishery, not with a commercial community license issued by the DFO, but under the umbrella of the “modest livelihood” individual Mi’maq right to hunt lobsters in or out of season. They just can’t legally sell it. According to Chief Terry Paul of Membertou First Nation, Indigenous fishers launched the fishery after years of frustrated and unsuccessful attempts by the Indigenous leaders to negotiate a deal with the DFO, over 20 years after the Supreme Court ruling. This fishery is a an attempt by Indigenous leaders to solve a local problem within the framework of their community structure, and with respect to the treaty rights laid down in the Peace and Friendship Treaties signed in 1760. This means that in the last 260 years, Canada has dragged its feet to manage this issue, and the result is that the Sipekne’katik First Nation are forging their own path. It may seem more complicated than that, but it really isn’t.
Someone you will see in the news a lot is the Sipekne’katik First Nation Chief Michael Sack. It may interest you to know that Donald Marshall Jr. is Michael Sack’s father.
A family of Indigenous radical resisters
Donald Marshall Jr. was famous for his Supreme Court win to hunt and fish according to treaty rights. According to Marshall Jr.,: “I don’t need a license. I have the 1752 Treaty.” However, this major victory is not the only thing he is known for. Donald Marshall Jr. also spent 11 years in prison after being framed for a crime he did not commit. In 1971, his friend Sandy Seale, a Black man, and he got in an altercation with an older white man, Roy Ebsary. Ebsary stabbed and killed Sandy Seale and framed Donald Marshall for the crime. Marshall was sentenced to life in prison, and was there for 11 years before he was finally absolved. He was 17 years old at the time of the crime.
Donald Marshall Jr.’s father, Donald Marshall Sr., was the Grand Chief of the Mi’kmaq people and established Treaty Day, which takes place every October 1 in Nova Scotia, in 1986. Donald Marshall Sr.’s own father, Gabriel Sylliboy, was a highly respected Mi’kmaq religious leader. He went to court in 1928 for trapping muskrats out of season, and was convicted. The judge at the time ruled that the treaties invoked by Sylliboy need not to be honoured, saying that the Mi’kmaq were “savages” and their right to ownership was never recognized. The Premier of Nova Scotia made an official apology and pardon statement for Grand Chief Sylliboy in February 2017.
You can see that Chief Sack’s family has dealt for generations with abuse and injustice from the Canadian law system. However, his family has continued to fight for their people’s rights.
About lobster fishing in Atlantic Canada
Didn’t think you’d learn so much about this niche topic, eh? 🦞 Welcome to the club! Let’s keep going…
All commercial lobstering licences distributed in Nova Scotia by the DFO are individual licenses. That means that all commercial licenses held by non-Indigenous fishers are individual licenses. In the region of St. Mary’s Bay alone (LFA 34 regulatory body of water), there are 979 lobstering licenses. Each license can carry 375–400 traps. That’s a maximum of 391,600 traps. The Sipekne’katik fishery distributed 11 licenses this year, with 50 traps each (550 traps). That means that the Sipekne’katik fishery has 0.14% of all the traps in LFA34.
In all of Atlantic Canada, there are 3,000 lobstering licenses. Lobstering is a lucrative business, and brings in about $1.4 billion annually. However, 2020 has not been a good year for lobster fishers. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a decline in lobster exports to China. In March 2020, lobster buyers in Nova Scotia called for an immediate halt to fishing in LFA 33 and 34 (the hot zones of this dispute) due to dropping demand caused by the pandemic. LFAs 33 and 34 account for a third of all lobster produced in Canada, and Canada exports lobster to over 60 different countries. This means that comemrcial fishers were already forced to stop fishing early in the last season, and likely have spent a harrowing summer concerned about their livelihoods in the face of the pandemic.
Also, lobster catches are down 10% and nobody is sure why. There is also the lingering spectre of the collapse of fishing industries, much like the collapse of cod in 1992 where tens of thousands of fishers lost their livelihoods. The DFO has not made provisions to find a way to help integrate the Indigenous right to moderate livelihood fishing into the existing framework of Atlantic Canada’s commercial fishing enterprise. Yet in all of this, it is Indigenous people who have received the brunt of violent rage from non-native fishers.
Why are non-Indigenous fishers in St. Mary’s Bay so angry?
Some of the non-native fishers have pointed to a Supreme Court of Canada follow-up after the Donald Marshall Jr. decision, stating that the SCC had made a clarification months later that the treaty rights were subject to federal regulation. According to Colin Sproul, Spokesperson of the Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association, the DFO has fed this crisis by not working with the Mi’kmaq fishers to create a structure for livelihood fishing. According to Chief Michael Sack, the DFO need not be involved; the Sipekne’katik are more than able to manage a regulated fishery of their own.
Some non-native fishers have argued that their anger is due to the fact that the Indigenous fishers intend to hunt lobster year-round, something they say will have a detrimental impact on the lobster population as it coincides with the breeding season. This position is echoed by the DFO, and Colin Sproul.
Since 1999, the DFO has spent more than $500 million buying commercial licences and gear for First Nations in Atlantic Canada to avoid unregulated livelihood fishing. The Macdonald-Laurier Institute did a study in 2019 that found that the licenses have resulted in many employment opportunities for Indigenous people, and over $150m in revenue a year since 2016. However, these licenses are not the same as moderate livelihood treaty rights. The DFO basically used these programs and funding to put a piece of duct tape on a decades-old situation. There are racist and damaging stereotypes about Indigenous people “syphoning” government money fanning the flames of this conflict. In reality, the GOC has paid half a billion dollars in the past 20 years to fund licenses, gear, and training in order to avoid acknowledging and enforcing its own treaty obligations. According to Chief Sack, the issue is not between the non-native fishers and the Sipekne’katik First Nation. It is between the Sipekne’katik and the federal government, and between the commercial non-Indigenous fishers and the federal government.
A part of it is also due to racist views against Indigenous people. A stereotype in Canada is that Indigenous people get “special treatment” from the government in the form of money and special hunting and fishing rights, among other things, and are a burden on the taxpayers. The truth is that many First Nations and Indigenous groups have rights protected by century-old treaties and other agreements. Treaty rights vary among First Nations groups. Some people do not value the meaning of treaties as solemn and official agreements between sovereign nations. These people prefer to view Indigenous people as sore losers in the history of conquest. This is not the case. Indigenous peoples were never conquered. Treaties were flatly denied or broken by the British Crown (and later the Canadian government) but that does not mean First Nations people submitted to British rule or forfeited their rights.
Response of non-Indigenous fishers
These events are unfolding in real time, so I apologize in advance for not capturing everything. However, violent responses to Indigenous fishers is nothing new. After the 1999 Supreme Court ruling, non-Indigenous fishers committed many violent acts of aggression and intimidation against Indigenous fishers across Atlantic Canada. Near Burnt Church, New Brunswick, commercial fishers violently opposed the fishing rights of the Esgenoôpetitj First Nation from 1999 to 2002. Non-native fishers destroyed Indigenous property (including thousands of lobster traps) and a mob of 600 men threatened the Indigenous fishers with guns and gunshots in a blockade. DFO patrol vessels charged Indigenous fishing boats. This was known as the Burnt Church Crisis.
The late Cape Breton writer Silver Donald Cameron, who passed away this summer, posthumously published Blood in the Water. Cameron recounts the true story of a man, Philip Boudreau, who was killed by local fishers who thought he was stealing their lobsters off of Isle Madame, Nova Scotia, in 2013. His body was never found.
Very soon after the launch of the Sipekne’kati fishery this fall, violence exploded in the area of St. Mary’s Bay, Nova Scotia and nearby. Local non-Indigenous fishers have, since September 19, 2020:
- Released a set of demands to the DFO calling to stop out of season fishing and for the Government to enforce regulations (September 19).
- Blocked Indigenous boats from going out to fish (intimidation).
- Cut trap lines on Indigenous property (reminder: that is destruction of private property).
- Removed traps from the water (again, destruction of property).
- Stolen catch from Indigenous traps.
- Gathered in front of a home of someone they believed are buying Mi’kmaw-harvested lobster (September 21) (intimidation!).
- Created a lobster trap wall outside the Fisheries and Oceans Canada office in Meteghan (photo below).
- Destroyed the fishing boat of Robert Syliboy, a license-holder of the Indigenous fishery, in a suspicious fire in Comeauville, NS (October 5).
- Gathered a mob of over 200 men who ransacked two lobster facilities and set a vehicle on fire and slashed the tires, vandalized property, intimated Indigenous fishermen inside the compound and threated to “burn them out”. Hundreds of pounds of lobster catch were mutilated and destroyed, or left to die (October 13–14). RCMP were on-site, but did not stop the mob from breaking windows with rocks, and setting fire to a van.
- Attacked a facility in New Edinburgh belonging to a potential buyer of Idnigenous-caught lobster (October 13). A Yarmouth man was charged for destruction to a vehicle.
- Violently attacked Chief Michael Sack, punching him in the head (October 14); The man, Chris Gerald Melanson, was charged and released.
- Arsonist(s) set fire to the raided lobster facility in Middle West Pubnico, destroying the building entirely (October 16). A male “suspected person of interest” was brought the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
- Sent threateneing text messages to Robery Silyboy insinuating that they were digging graves for Indigenous fishers.
Note: This is by no means an exhaustive list. Add on likely hundreds of aggressive and micoraggressive encounters instigated by non-native fishers, intimidations, threats, and destruction of property that has not made mainstream media.
Response of the Indigenous fishers
-“You swore an oath to uphold the law and protect the people? So why is it that the law has been broken multiple times and no one is arrested?” said Robert Syliboy, a Sipekne’katik fisherman whose boat was burned in a suspicious fire last week while docked at a wharf. “I fear for our people. This has gotten way out of hand. […] This is a mob of hatred.” — Robert Syliboy
Many Indigenous fishers have responded with peaceful demonstrations and calls for support from and negotiations with the federal government. Here are some examples of the responses:
- A blockade of lobster traps was set up at the Saulnierville wharf in response to commercial fishermen they said were trying to intimidate them (September 18).
- Activist and Sipekne’katik band member Cheryl Maloney sold some lobster outside Province House (October 16).
- First Nations Chiefs reached out to the DFO, the federal government, and provincial leaders to stop the violence and protect and implement treaty rights. Chief Michael Sack has called for the government to send the army to protect the Indigenous fishers and their facilities, citing that the local police and RCMP have not acted to protect them.
- Indigenous fishers and their families have reported on the attacks and violence of the commercial fishers, sharing videos, testimonies, witness accounts and calls for support on social media and traditional media.
Response from the community and government bodies
This article would be too long if I included the drama at Parliament lately around this issue, but the federal government condems any acts of violence or intimidation. Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Bernadette Jordan has called for both sides of the fishery issue to come together for peaceful talks since September 18, but has been criticized by all parties as being noticeably absent “on the ground”.
Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair has sent reinforcements for law enforcement to the area. Parliament held an emergency debate last night (Monday October 19) to discuss what is to be done, and will reconvene today.
Interestingly, Joel Comeau, President of the Nova Scotia Maritime Fishermen’s Union, stepped down on October 16, ahead of a planned meeting for negotiation with Chief Michael Sack. He cites fear for his family’s safety as a primary concern to step down. According to Comeau, federal government leadership is necessary to resolve the years-long disputes. When asked about the fear of safety experienced by Indigenous fishers, Comeau’s wife Cindy is quoted to say, “ We just, we don’t care about the other side. We just want to give our story. That’s it.”
Some Halifax restaurants have removed lobster from their menu in solidarity with the Mi’kmaq fishers.
Response from the RCMP
Video and oral testimonies from Indigenous fishers caught in the conflict show that the police and RCMP have done little to actively stop the violent clashes, and in fact have been videotaped participating in the aggression. No more than a handful of instigators have been arrested and charged, and certaintly not with the force and brutality that is characteristic of arrests of peaceful Indigenous protestors in other parts of this country. According to Chief Michael Sack, the RCMP has failed to both protect Indigenous people and to maintain order.
So… What about the lobster? Are they at risk?
The health and sustainability of the lobster are cited as a core issue in this dispute. Many commercial fishing leaders including Colin Sproul, Joel Comeau, and Ruth Innis have said that the primary concern of the non-Indigenous fishers is that the lobster will be hunted to collapse if the Indigenous fishery operates during the summer months. But, is that actually true?
👩🔬 Let’s trust the scientists! 👨🔬
According to a panel of five experts in ocean sustainability, lobster biology, and ocean governance, the answer is no. Here is what they have to say (adapted from the article from Hakai Magazine):
Some of the take-away from above is that:
- Hunting “out of season” (between May and November) is not detrimental to lobster populations if they are not over-fished. There is no biological or ecological reason to have “seasons”.
- Lobster fishing is normal year-round in Maine, USA. Maine traps 3 times more lobster than Atlantic Canada, and lobster is not an at-risk fish.
- Canadian fisheries typically do not fish year-round because the lobsters have a soft shell in the summer and its less commercially appealing because they are harder to ship long distances. Soft-shells are too vulnerable to ship long-distance.
- The amount of lobster the Sipekne’katik intend to fish is a negligible fraction of what is hunted every winter commercially.
So… is it legal for Indigenous people to hunt lobster year-round in Canada?
The answer is yes. Treaties are viable, legal and solemn agreements between sovereign nations. The Mi’kmaq First Nations right to fish was honoured in the Supreme Court ruling in 1999. If the commercial fishery is worried about that, their “beef” is with the federal government, not with Indigenous fishers. Under treaty rights, First Nations have prioritiy over discretionary users. The legacy of colonialism has come to bite settler economies in the butt, and the rage has been taken out on Indigenous people- as it always has.
🛑 I haven’t addressed the obvious question: What happens when the Sipekne’katik fishery grows? Sure, it’s 11 licenses now, but what happens if that becomes 100 licenses, or 200?
Well, Chief Michael Sack has a lobster fishing management plan. The purpose of the first year of the Indigenous fishery is to test, experiment, report data, and develop a sustainability plan. The leadership of this fishery know that the lobster population needs to be regulated. Commercial fishers point to the collapse of the cod fishing industry in 1992 as a warning sign of things to come, but overlook the fact that the collapse was the fault of the Government of Canada, and non-Indigenous fishers. Mi’kmaq people have tradionally lived and fished on this land for time immemorial. The implications that the Indigenous fishery cannot sustainably fish lobster is a hypocrisy, and a strawman fallacy, plain and simple.
What can we do? (AKA Conclusion)
The best way to do our part is to inform ourselves as best as we can about what is happening, and why. This dispute is highly complex, and grounded in a specific cultural, economic and social framework.I would also like to say that treaties are different, and First Nations across Canada are not homogenous and treaties are not homogenous. It’s also important to add that when we speak of Indigenous and non-Indigenous fishers in this dispute, we cannot pit one “side” against the other. Everyone involved in this dispute is an individual, with their own concerns, beliefs, and motivations.
That being said, thegfact remaisn that there is a large group of commercial fishers who have threatened, intimidated, attacked, hurt, and destroyed the property of Indigenous fishers in Nova Scotia with virtually no consequences. The law enforcement officers in this region have played passive roles and have failed to protect Indigenous people. This entire dispute, though specific to its place and time, can also serve as a microcosm for the current nation-wide issues where Indigenous rights are being violated. The Wet’suwet’en First Nation is still fighting desperately to protect their land from pipeline development, for example.
The DFO and federal government have played a crucial role in having let this issue culminate to a boiling-over point, and must take the lead in dealing with it now.
A good point to start is to write, call, or @ the following people below and let them know that you support Indigenous treaty rights, and that you support the Sipekne’katik fishery. Call on the DFO to take the lead in negotiations. Call on them to meet with Mi’kmaq leadership and to make space for the Mik’maq First Nations and other First Nations involved in this treaty to define what “moderate livelihood” fishing means to them, and to help them find a satisfactory solution to this dispute.
Contact info (embedded in links):
- Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Bernadette Jordan (@BernJordanMP)
- Ruth Innis, Maritime Fisherman’s Union (Nova Scotia Office)
- Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Bill Blair (@BillBlair)
- Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett (@Carolyn_Bennett)
- Colin Sproul, Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association (@Sproul_Colin)
- Minister of Indigenous Services Marc Miller (@Min_IndServ)
Resources
Cited Articles (organized by date)
Nova Scotia Buyers Call for Early End to Seasons Amid Coronavirus Crush. Undercurrent News, March 13, 2020
Lobster protests: Nova Scotia RCMP arrest two at wharf in Weymouth. Global News, September 18, 2020 (possible paywall)
MFU Calls on Governments and Fisheries Organizations to consider fishery sustainability. Maritime Fishermen’s Union. September 30, 2019
Mi’kmaq fishers won at the Supreme Court. But they’re still fighting for their livelihoods. Maclean’s, October 2, 2020
Mi’kmaq lobster boat in self-regulated fishery destroyed in suspicious fire. CTV News Atlantic, October 5, 2020
Lobster catch dropped in N.S. bay in years leading up to launch of Mi’kmaq fishery. Globe & Mail, October 7, 2020 (possible paywall)
Mi’kmaw Fishery Dispute Is Not About Conservation, Scientists Say. Hakai Magazine, October 9, 2020
Lobster catch destroyed, vehicle burned as tension rises over Indigenous fishery in N.S.. CTV News Atlantic, October 14, 2020
RCMP criticized for inaction after mob violently attacks Mi’kmaq lobster facilities. Globe & Mail, October 14, 2020 (possible paywall)
What’s happening in Nova Scotia right now? Flare, October 15, 2020
Mi’kmaw activist sells lobster outside Province House (7 photos). Halifax Today, October 16, 2020
Mi’kmaq fisheries under attack: The story in Nova Scotia so far, and the treaty rights behind it. The Globe & Mail, October 19, 2020 (possible paywall)
Inside Canada’s decades-long lobster feud. BBC News, October 19, 2020
Further Reading/Research
Indigenous Canada free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), hosted by the University of Alberta
Fact Sheet about the Donald Marshall Jr. Supreme Court decision
Truth and Conviction: Donald Marshall Jr. and the Mi’kmaw Quest for Justice. a book by Jane McMillan, the wife of Donald Marshall Jr., about the wrongful conviction of her husband for the murder of Sandy Seale
Blood in the Water: A True Story of Revenge in the Maritimes by Silver Donald Cameron.
As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom through Radical Resistance by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Thanks for reading! if you see a typo or issue in the text, please let me know!
