Fisheries Committee on Oct. 29th, 2020

[Chief Wilbert Marshall]

They are, yes.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

You do not participate in the practice of leasing out your resource to non-indigenous?

[Chief Wilbert Marshall]

Not the livelihood, no.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

What about the licences that were acquired through DFO?

[Chief Wilbert Marshall]

The commercial, we fish almost everything except the shrimp and [Inaudible—Editor].

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

They're offshore. I understand that. For the lobster fishery on the commercial side through licences that were acquired through DFO, is it first nations people who are fishing those?

[Chief Wilbert Marshall]

It's all of our community members, yes.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Okay, that's very good.

I was impressed with how transparent.... You talked about transparency, which seems to be the issue that we arrive at in these confrontations, when there's no transparency. I must say I am pleased to hear you speak on behalf of your first nation that you are very clear up front and moving forward with commercial fishers and everybody involved.

To me, it appears that you're approaching your position from a very practical perspective. I'm pleased to see that your first nation community is using the resources of your people. We've heard from earlier chiefs with high unemployment in the first nation community and poverty, yet in some areas some of the value of the resource is being leased out to non-indigenous people.

Do you think that's acceptable?

[Chief Wilbert Marshall]

Not everybody's a fisherman. Some people are going to fish; some people aren't going to fish.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

But do you think it's acceptable to be leasing out access to the fishery to non-indigenous people?

[Chief Wilbert Marshall]

With our fishery, the only ones [Technical difficulty—Editor] are the groundfish and the shrimp.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

That's offshore. I understand that. I want you to focus on the lobster.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you, Mr. Morrissey.

We'll now go on to Madame Gill, for two and a half minutes, please.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would first like to use my time to suggest that the committee look into committee business at its next meeting, next week.

Would that be possible?

[Chief Wilbert Marshall]

Justin, can you get this?

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

I think I will help Chief Marshall at the same time. I hope he will be able to hear the translation. When I put a question to Mr. Martin earlier, I was not done hearing what he had to say, and I was really interested. We talked about urgency and the RCMP.

I would like to hear him on what it would be important to do for Mi'kmaq communities urgently and over the short term, but also over the medium and long terms.

[Justin Martin]

From my understanding, working closely with a number of first nation communities, the implementation of our right is the most important thing, and doing so from a Mi'kmaq management value. The way DFO has tried to implement this right in the past was done top-down without understanding the Mi'kmaq side.

Provide us an opportunity to implement, to demonstrate and to fish for our livelihood, and then let's have a conversation about how we can manage the sustainability of the overall resource.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

If I understand correctly, it is not this committee's responsibility to look into that. It is rather a matter of nation-to-nation negotiations.

I would like us to help you, but we are unable to do so. This is why I am putting all these questions to you. What I am seeing is that the same work is often being duplicated, and that does not help you move forward nor does it resolve the current situation in Nova Scotia.

[Chris d'Entremont, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

I'm getting a lot of complaints about ParlVU. We have a number of people who wanted to watch this on the streaming service, and they're having trouble, so I just wanted to bring that to the attention of the chair and the clerk. I don't know if technology is letting us down tonight.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you.

We'll go to Mr. Johns, for two and a half minutes. The most important thing is that we hear the testimony and the questions and answers, versus the TV. I know people are interested in it, but we have to get the testimony on record. That is the most important part of it.

Mr. Johns, you have two and a half minutes, please.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses for their important testimony tonight.

It's my understanding that several Mi'kmaq bands are landlocked due to the relocation plans of previous governments, and all first nations in the Mi'gma'gi have been nomadic harvesters. My understanding is that camps were set up near the coast for fisheries during the fall and summer—

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Chair, I have a point of order.

Is it normal for us not to have access to the image?

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

I didn't even know I was off. Thank you so much.

Then they went inland during the fall and winter seasons for hunting. I understand that the Mi'gma'gi is an unceded territory. There are sacred agreements before Confederation, and even after, when Donald Marshall Jr. fished in another territory, which led to the decision. Do you believe nation-to-nation protocols are important, and that this needs to happen without government intervention?

[Chief Wilbert Marshall]

Yes, for sure. Our plan discusses that. It shows you that. It talks about the seven districts of our fisheries, especially where we fish right now. Our main community was in that area, the St. Peters area between the two villages on either end of Bras d'Or Lake, on the canal side and on the St. Peters side also. That's where our main village was way back in the day. I remember hearing stories from elders going back and explaining how this was.

Our plan talks about the seven districts and co-operating with all Mi'gma'gi, right from Cape Breton up to Quebec, and also parts of Maine. The grand council played a big role back then because we talked to each other and we shared the resources also.

There's such a big disconnect with the DFO officials. They don't know our traditional ways. Even with this fishery, we follow the moons and everything—

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Chair, I apologize for interrupting you to raise a point of order once again. I do so reluctantly.

Once again, you will understand that the interpreters are really struggling to hear and that it is difficult for them to do their work in these conditions. I wanted to let you know.