Copyright © 2000 NLThomas
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BURNT CHURCH, New Brunswick - "When you are dealing with racism so long, you become numb to it," a Mi'kmaq woman told a CPT fact-finding mission to New Brunswick in eastern Canada in January. She spoke of the treatment that First Nations people in Esgeno petitj (Burnt Church) received from whites during the conflict last fall over lobster fishing. It takes wake-up calls like the most recent conflict "to realize that these people just don't love you."

As with many First Nations people, options for employment on the reserve have always been limited. They also have been unable to find employment in the surrounding communities, regardless of their education and skills, because of who they are.

With the Marshall Decision by the Supreme Court of Canada in September 1999, which recognized aboriginals' treaty rights to sell fish in order to sustain a "moderate living," people at Esgeno petitj saw a chance to earn an income without having to leave their community. Many people used all of their financial resources to purchase lobster traps and equipment, believing that they could finally fish without being molested by government authorities.

The CPT delegation learned that the situation was worse than it had appeared in the national news. On October 3, over 150 boats bearing white fishers streamed into the bay to protest the native fishery. Some of those people went further in their protest by cutting all of the lobster traps of the native fishermen. Although Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) officials and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were also on the water, they made no attempt to stop the destruction. In fact, the government was aware well ahead of time of the potential for violence and did nothing to reduce that possibility. Many people believe that the DFO wanted an excuse to keep native fishermen out of the water.

"Daliwahl (Minister of Fisheries & Oceans) wanted one dead person, Indian or otherwise, to justify a clamping down," one native fisherman explained. Several weeks later DFO officials illegally confiscated a second set of traps that native fishermen had set. Native fishers lost $250,000 worth of equipment.

On the day of the demonstration, the wives and children of some local white fishermen stood on the wharf with signs, protesting the Supreme Court decision. As the families of native fishermen learned that their traps had been cut, the rhetoric of the white demonstrators turned from anti-government to anti-native. As the conflict escalated, violence erupted on both sides, resulting in damaged property and serious injuries. One person noted that people they had always thought were friends, no longer were, just because they were native.

Four months later, community members are concerned that the government has done little to resolve the situation. They are also concerned that more violence will break out this spring when they attempt to fish alongside the non-native fishers. There is, however, a strong determination to continue exercising their aboriginal right to commerical fishing and community members are preparing for the spring fishing.

The January 8-24 delegation to Esgeno petitj included William Payne (Toronto, ON) and Janet Shoemaker (Goshen, IN.)