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Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) Archives CPTnet Esgeno petitj, Mi'kmag [Wabanaki] Territory (Burnt Church, N.B.) - As the lobster fishing season draws near, members of this First Nation are preparing to re-establish the lobster fishery that many saw decimated when their traps were destroyed by non-natives last fall. Members of Christian Peacemaker Teams arrived here on April 4, invited by this coastal community in the hopes that CPT's presence would deter violence when the season opens. The team has heard community members express the strong sentiment that they must have authority over their own fishery. They are not willing to subject their right to fish to Canadian government regulation. In its Marshall decision last fall, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized that members of the Mi'kmag, Maliseet, and Passamaquoddy Nations, have the right to fish commercially under the terms of the 1760 Treaty of Peace and Friendship. Over the winter, the federal government's Department of Fisheries and Oceans has attempted, with the help of massive financial inducements, to persuade First Nations throughout the Maritimes to accept agreements which imply that Canada has a right to regulate their fisheries. The DFO has not been willing to enter negotiations regarding a co-management system on an equal, nation-to-nation basis. Four of fifteen communities in New Brunswick have signed so far, while others, including Esgeno petitj (pronounced es'-guh-no''-buh-ditch), are refusing.
The morning of April 25, after an impassioned community meeting, the band council formally rejected the DFO's proposal. In addition, the community endorsed in principle a regulatory framework for fishing that will be put to a referendum in its final form later this year. Together with setting up a weather-worthy camp amid sun, rain, wind and snow, CPT has been speaking with people from all communities in the area. Team member Janet Shoemaker said, "in both public meetings and informal conversations, we have heard anger and fear as well as hope and genuine concern for the well-being of all. We have been able to sit down and chat, both with those who share our support for aboriginal rights and those who have differing views. We hope that our conversations are helping to lessen tensions around changes in the fishery." The team has met many people who are working hard to prevent further violence this spring. A community dialogue forum that brings together people from Esgeno petitj and neighbouring Burnt Church, as well as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the DFO, has met several times over the last month to prepare for the oncoming season. CPT's mere presence in Esgeno petitj provoked a wave of interest across the country from print, radio, and television media in both French and English. One community member indicated her pleasure at CPT's presence by saying, "the media can be like fire-it has its good side and its bad side. The media attention already has shown that there is a lot of interest in what is happening here, and that may make people who are thinking of harming us think twice." Members of the Christian Peacemaker Team currently in Esgeno petitj
include Lena Siegers (Blyth, Ontario), Janet Shoemaker (Goshen, IN),
Joel Klassen (Kitchener, ON), and Anne Herman (Binghampton, NY). |