TORONTO - As the conflict in Nova Scotia continues to spiral, the Green Party of Canada and the Green Party of Nova Scotia issued a joint statement condemning the violence and calling on all leaders to join them in denouncing the criminal acts that have occurred, and urged the RCMP, and the communities involved, to uphold their duty to each other and to end these attacks.
"It is unthinkable that such a breakdown of order, and the ensuing violence occurring in southwest Nova Scotia, should be happening in a country such as Canada,” said Leader of the Green Party of Nova Scotia Thomas Trappenberg. “There is no justification for these acts. Crimes are crimes irrespective of who commits them, and the Green Party of Nova Scotia demands that the police and provincial government act immediately. We call on all provincial leaders, residents and law-abiding members of the commercial fishery to denounce these open acts of violence.”
The right to fish is clear, and successive federal governments have abdicated their responsibility to participate in meaningful Nation-to-Nation dialogue for too long. In light of the troubling absence of political leadership on the part of the federal and Nova Scotia governments, the Green Party of Canada and the Green Party of Nova Scotia are calling for such a dialogue to de-escalate the situation.
“Assuming that the provincial and federal governments are sincere in their stated intention to resolve this spiralling crisis through dialogue, and not merely through law enforcement measures, the launch of Nation-to-Nation dialogue that take can place within a solid framework is where the focus needs to be right now,” said Green Party of Canada Leader Annamie Paul.
“To date, the federal government has not proposed a process to resolve this conflict. This situation involves members of the same communities, people who will continue to live side-by-side, therefore it is essential that effective dialogue be initiated as quickly as possible. Such a framework should be made clear to all stakeholders in advance.”
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