Chief Mike Sack of the Sipekne’katik First Nation.
Sipekne’katik Chief Mike Sack and Band legal counsel announced that they have launched a constitutional challenge against the province, and intend to sue stakeholders who have interfered with their moderate livelihood fishery.
In a press conference on Thursday Sipekne’katik legal counsel Ron Pink outlined a number of lawsuits in the works, including against the RCMP, businesses who refuse to work with indigenous people, and a number of individuals for their treatment of the indigenous fishers.
Chief Sack talked about how the situation has impacted his people.
“It’s frustrating, our people are just looking to fish and provide for their families,” said Sack “There’s a whole group of people that are trying to stop it. For us, we have that right to do so and why doesn’t anyone recognize it? We realize we’re a smaller population but for us it shouldn’t matter.”
They are also considering action against the DFO for any interference with the moderate livelihood fishery.
Sipekne’katik legal counsel also plans on challenging the province’s fish buyers regulations, which they say prohibit Indigenous fishers from selling lobster.
Pink says the that they will no longer accept the mistreatment.
“We are not going to allow this discrimination and bully tactics by the federal government and their agencies against us,” said Pink “It’s simply unfair and what it does it simply continues to allow the white community to have the aboriginal community as second class citizens in this province and this nation.”
Chief Sack says that no lawsuits have been filed at this time, they continue to prepare.
