This is the text that was published in New Brunswick newspapers before the rally held in Néguac on September 17.
SEPTEMBER 14, 2000
A DAY OF CONCERN ON THE MIRAMICHI
We want answers from our leaders.
The coastal fishing families have fished lobster for generations and have a deep attachment to the sea. They are no strangers to hardship but maintain and promote a generosity of spirit. They have learned to make the lobster fishery work to improve the area's general living standards.
The Marshall decision has created the conditions for Burnt Church First Nation residents to stand proud with the rest of area fishers and to make the lobster industry work to benefit their lives.
Despite generational attachments to the sea, some of our fishers have, and will, exit the industry to make the room necessary for long-term fishing by Natives at Burnt Church. This has already happened at Big Cove, where scores of skilled young Natives are now entering the commercial fishery.
The people of the Burnt Church First Nation deeply believe in their ancestral rights. The fishing families of Miramichi Bay have worked for decades to eradicate out-of-season poaching and have forged a strong belief in management by season. Both belief systems can be respected and can exist side by side, under the laws of Canada.
The Burnt Church fishing plan, as is, can not work because it ignores the cherished beliefs of our fishing families and the guiding principles which have made this fishery so viable and stable. Many of the issues are national and we cannot ask the people of Miramichi to shoulder the burden of years of ineptitude toward our First Nations and the broader society. We need to work out a workable fishing plan that delivers practical results for young aspiring Natives while respecting all parties in a realistic and sustainable manner.
The area's peoples are trapped in a continuous spiral of grievances. We will ask our leaders how things got to this point. The Day of Concern is open to all citizens of goodwill. Bring your families and make the day a celebration of the best in the human spirit.
The federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has been invited to our rally, as well as mediator Bob Rae and area bishops. Formal invitations have also been sent to the Chief of the Assembly of First Nations and the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs.
Please make an effort to attend and show your support for a peaceful and workable solution to the current situation. Together, we must show our children and those watching from across New Brunswick, Canada and the world that we can, and will, achieve a resolution with which we all can live.
The Day of Concern will be held at the Neguac Arena on Sunday, September 17 beginning at 2:00 p.m.
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