Evidence of meeting #4 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was mi'kmaq.
A video is available from Parliament.
6:45 p.m.
Executive Director, Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association
That being said, we reached out and we want to continue to do that dialogue. One thing that Chief Bernard said was that a real education process needs to happen for everybody to understand treaties and how they work, and rights and all those things.
I can tell you that all of our lobster advisers were represented. Our executive was there. It was fruitful, and we're looking forward to the next meeting. That's how it started.
6:45 p.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Going back to an earlier question around systemic racism in the DFO, we saw a lobster pound being burned. We saw intimidation, assaults, traps being cut, lobster being destroyed. We saw the slow reaction of the RCMP to create peace and safety.
Do you not see systemic racism in the way that protecting the Mi'kmaq fishers and their community was approached?
6:45 p.m.
President, Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association
Thank you for the question.
That's a hard question to answer. We're still not 100% sure what led to the events down there. We didn't condone a lobster plant being burnt or a van or a truck being burnt or anything like that.
Again, I will respectfully say on behalf of the RCMP that it's their jurisdiction, not ours. If charges should have been laid, then they should have been laid, and it's up to them to lay them. All we can speak on is on behalf of our membership—
6:45 p.m.
President, Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association
I don't see what you're speaking to, in our membership, on racism.
6:45 p.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
I'm just asking if you believe you've seen any systemic racism in terms of the response.
6:45 p.m.
Cape Breton Fish Harvesters Association
To speak to the slow response from the RCMP, the slow response was due to the fact that DFO wouldn't go to the so-called plants that were involved in buying some of these moderate livelihood lobsters. That led to the slow response from the RCMP.
The delayed response from DFO over time led to the frustration. To outright say that I see systemic racism, no, I can't say that I do. That's too hard of a question to ask without being involved first-hand down there.
6:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Thank you, Mr. Johns.
That concludes our testimony from our witnesses this evening. I want to thank Mr. Barron, Mr. MacPherson and Mr. Jenkins for appearing in our second hour of this evening's committee meeting.
Before we adjourn the meeting, I want to remind members that the deadline for final witnesses on this study is 5 p.m. eastern time tomorrow. Please send them to the clerk via email before that deadline.
I want to thank Nancy and the table staff for staying late this evening for us to hear this testimony. As well, thank you to our own staff, the staff of the various MPs. I'm sure some of them are working late too because of the extension. We have to try to get in as much testimony as we can so that we can produce a very noteworthy and worthwhile report at the end of the study.
Thank you, everybody. We'll see you on, I guess, Thursday.
The meeting is adjourned.