Advancing Dialogue and Reconciliation between First Nations and non-Indigenous Fishing Communities in Atlantic Canada through Knowledge Exchange and Leadership Engagement

In 1999, major changes in the fishing industry in Atlantic Canada were catalyzed by two Canadian Supreme Court rulings: 1) recognition of the Treaty rights of the thirty-five Mi’kmaw, Wolastoqey (Maliseet), and Passamaquoddy First Nations in the three Maritime Provinces and Québec to conduct self-regulated fisheries, and 2) affirming the authority of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to fulfill a duty to consult prior to regulating First Nations’ fishing activities. Following these rulings, the federal government of Canada fast-tracked efforts to expand First Nations’ commercial fisheries, resulting in economic growth, the creation of many hundreds of jobs, and new revenue flows to communities. Despite this growth, the court-recognized Treaty rights to conduct self-regulated fishing have not been fully realized to date, and the rapid expansion has led to hostile opposition from non-Indigenous fisheries groups in some regions. To address these challenges, a new dialogue is needed: one that facilitates trust building and convenes diverse groups to identify common values and priorities for advancing reconciliation and Indigenous treaty rights implementation for fisheries management in Atlantic Canada.

To develop this new dialogue, the project team will host a series of “talking circles” that create a safe place where influential leaders from Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities can come together on a regular basis to share knowledge and experiences and to explore new pathways to peace and reconciliation. Membership of the talking circles will be collaboratively designated by the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs (APC) the Canadian Independent Fish Harvesters Federation (CIFHF), with the support of the Fisheries Reconciliation Engagement Council (FREC) to achieve equal representation of participants across Atlantic Canada. Conversations within the talking circles will be professionally facilitated and will focus on generating conceptual bridges between Indigenous cultural values, fisheries management approaches, and related aspirations in the non-Indigenous leadership discourse. The circles will be a forum for considering essential elements of Indigenous thinking and action in fisheries management, two-eyed seeing (“etuaptmumk”) and responsible harvesting (“netukulimk”). Overall, the project will establish and energize a network of influential leaders in First Nations and non-Indigenous fishing communities who know and trust each other, who can reach out to each other when wise counsel or action is needed to resolve emergent issues, and who can collectively provide strategic advice on meeting the larger challenges faced by decision-makers in First Nations, industry organizations, and government agencies.

Project Team

• Kerry Prosper – Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Community, Elder, StFX Co-director Centre for Indigenous Governance & Social Justice
• John G. Paul - Membertou Mi’kmaq Community, Executive Director, Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat
• Dr. L. Jane McMillan - Professor & Chair of Anthropology, Saint Francis Xavier University, Co-director Centre for Indigenous Governance & Social Justice
• Dr. Fred Metallic, Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government, Director of Natural Resources
• Justin Martin – Millbrook Mi’kmaq Community, Fisheries Lead for the Kwilmu’kw Maw-Klusuaqnkmk
• Gilles Thériault - Independent consultant and founder, Maritime Fishermen's Union
• Dr. Susanna Fuller - Vice-President, Oceans North