Yes, this should be its role, a role that it has actually played on several occasions.
I am a little astonished by its inaction in this conflict. I'm not the only one, in fact, because several people have mentioned that, following the Marshall decision and because of well-established practices, Fisheries and Oceans Canada was much more proactive with the Innu in getting the fishery accepted. But here, it has chosen not to be very present. I do not think that either the fishermen or the Mi'kmaq will be able to resolve this on their own. It's not a matter of going to arbitration, because that's not the issue. But the federal government has a fiduciary responsibility to indigenous peoples on behalf of the Crown. So it would be a matter of taking that responsibility and protecting the right of the Mi'kmaq to have access to the resource, a right that is recognized constitutionally and by treaty, while not allowing tensions to arise in the region. There are ways to do this. In fact, as many have said, it is Fisheries and Oceans Canada's unwillingness to become involved in the region that has created those tensions.