HALIFAX — The lawyer for a Mi'kmaq band that has battled Ottawa over its lobster harvest rights says a deal settling the "centuries-old" fishing dispute is nearly complete.
Ronald Pink told Justice John Keith today in provincial Supreme Court that Sipekne'katik First Nation's mediation over its treaty-based fishery off the province's southwestern coast is "moving to a conclusion."
Band members have said their "moderate livelihood" fishery outside of the regular season is permitted by a 1999 Supreme Court of Canada decision, but non-Indigenous, commercial fishers have contended the practice threatens stocks and fails to recognize the courts also maintained Ottawa's right to regulate.
Pink made his statement about progress as he sought a delay in a lawsuit the band launched to seek a declaration that federal regulations infringe on their treaty right to fish.
A lawyer for the Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance — which is intervening in the case on behalf of commercial fishers — told the judge it's unclear what the potential deal means and urged the judge to keep the litigation on track.
Keith ruled after a short hearing that the parties have six months to finish their talks, but he also set a firm date of June 16 for the civil proceedings to resume if the expected resolution isn't reached.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2024.
The Canadian Press
