Copyright © 2001 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Dear Editor;

I was very distraught to actually read how a Canadian Press reporter decided to write a story about the Gaspeg Band of Mi'kmaq choice to sign an agreement with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans this week.

As communications officer for the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nation Chiefs Secretariat, I was asked by a reporter to verify that the Gaspeg Band had signed the agreement, in which I did, and also provided statements to the affect that the current agreements had no affect on the treaty rights of the Mi'kmaq, Maliseet and Passamaquoddy Nations.

One of the statements quoted is quite misinterpreted and misrepresented by the reporter in this story. The reporter stated that I said that the Gaspeg Mi'kmaq agreed to DFO rules in exchange for cash, but that I assure you is untrue. That was not even close to the statement I made regarding the agreement signed by the band.

I had stated that the Band signed the agreement and that it was the bands choice to do so. I had also stated that the Band was not signing away any treaty rights in exchange for cash or that they were a sell-out. I had stated that the current template agreement, which had been introduced answered the concerns of the Atlantic Chiefs in regards to protecting Treaty Rights and that the Atlantic Chiefs had requested an additional clause that backs up Minister Dhaliwal's continuous statement that his department does not have the mandate to negotiate treaty rights.

At this time, I wish to make it very clear that I did not make any statement to the affect that bands who sign the agreements are agreeing to DFO rules in exchange for cash, as the reporter stated in this story.

In fact, the Atlantic Policy Congress supports the First Nations in any decisions they may make regarding fishing agreements since they are signing agreements based on meetings with their membership and they have received consensus from their community to sign. It is in no way detrimental to the other First Nations in the Region and it is not a "crack" in the unity of the region, despite what the reporter is attempting to insinuate in this story.

In conclusion, I would like to state, as a former reporter myself, that reporters are obligated to report fair and objective stories and are not to take editorial liberties when quoting people, yet it seems that this Canadian Press reporter has.