Canadian Minister Says 'Lobster Conflict' Matter for Police, Not Military Intervention

TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2020) Containing the conflict over lobster fishing in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia falls within the jurisdiction of the police and the military should not intervene, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair told reporters on Monday.

A day earlier, Chief Mike Sack of the Sipekne'katik First Nation called for military intervention to stop commercial fishermen from taking the law into their own hands after reports of police inaction amid the dispute.

"This isn't a military operation. It is a peacekeeping operation and it is the responsibility of the police of jurisdiction, and in this case it's the responsibility of the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police]," Blair said.

Following a request from the RCMP's Nova Scotia division, Blair said that the Federal government approved additional resources from adjacent provinces and has solicited the help of outside agencies, including the Canadian Coast Guard.

While the conflict has been simmering for weeks, it reached an active phase last Tuesday when a van containing lobster catch was torched in New Edinburgh, leading to a string of violent events in which Sack was assaulted in a confrontation with local commercial fishermen, and in a torching of a lobster facility.

Commercial fishermen have been furious with a local band engaging in lobster trapping outside the federally mandated commercial season, concerned about its impact on lobster harvesting. The Sipekne'katik First Nation says they are simply exercising their right to a "moderate livelihood" through hunting and fishing as affirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada in 1999.

The RCMP's Nova Scotia division, accused of mishandling of the situation that resulted in one of the country's deadliest mass casualty events in April, is under fire after videos surfaced showing officers failing to intervene in scenes where a mob of commercial fishermen destroyed lobsters and threatened Mi'kmaw fishers.

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller characterized the ongoing dispute as "racist" and a "disgrace," saying that the indigenous fishermen have been "let down" by the RCMP.

So far police have announced charging two individuals for participating in the incidents.