Thank you very much; I appreciate that.
I would like to finish off by saying that the term “white racist fisherman” has spread like wildfire, especially in the media and across Canada. This greatly upsets me because it is simply untrue, based on my 32 years of experience and knowledge.
Commercial fishermen have been vilified by our government leaders and our media. Our federal leaders have categorized fishermen as racists and terrorists. Because of these comments, Canadians believe what our elected leaders are saying. Now Canadians believe this to be so, thereby labelling commercial fishermen in southwest Nova Scotia as racists and terrorists.
If this is the case, we must assume that their wives, children, grandparents, parents, friends and perhaps the whole community is racist. After all, racism doesn't exist in a vacuum. Everyone wants to focus on the acts of the commercial fishers, so it seems everyone else involved in this incident gets a free pass.
The first thing you learn as an investigator is to investigate both sides of the story and collect all the facts and the evidence before making a decision. This opportunity was never afforded to the commercial fishers. They were instantly tarred and feathered by our elected leaders and media and, as a result, the citizens of Canada.
Remember, this incident was caused by an illegal fishery, an illegally fishery, and is the cause without which this incident would not have occurred. Guilt before innocence is what has happened, and without doubt our leaders in Ottawa are not entitled to a free pass. They must act with integrity and dignity and carry themselves in a manner that is above reproach and disrepute. They have fallen short. It's time for our leaders to apologize to the commercial fishers, their families and the community. Canadians look to our leaders to bring us together in pursuit of our Canadian dream, not to divide us with harmful, hurtful, divisive and destructive comments.
As a Canadian and a former DFO officer, I have always supported indigenous rights and always will, but this is simply an illegal fishery that should not have occurred, and I do not support it.
Thank you, sir, so much.