Question Period Note: Indigenous Moderate Livelihood Fisheries

• Our government is committed to its relationship with Indigenous peoples.
• The Supreme Court of Canada recognized a right to harvest in pursuit of a moderate livelihood and DFO has been working at negotiation tables to implement the right in communities across the East Coast and Quebec.
• We continue to work with Indigenous communities on fisheries programs and initiatives in a spirit of respect and reconciliation.

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• Access to commercial fisheries for the pursuit of a moderate livelihood will be through voluntary licence relinquishment, i.e. transferring access/licence through the open market.
• The Department has been successful in signing two RRAs, one with the Maliseet of Viger First Nation (Quebec) and the other one with the communities of Elsipogtog and Esgenoôpetitj (Mi’kmaq of New Brunswick).
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FSC
• Several court decisions have found that certain Indigenous groups have the right to fish for food, social and ceremonial (FSC) purposes – essentially, the right to fish to meet the internal needs of their communities. Following those decisions, DFO established a policy to provide FSC access to Indigenous groups across the country.
• FSC licences are developed following consultations with affected Indigenous groups and conditions of the licence are based on specific considerations present within each Indigenous community.
• Once a Communal licence is issued to a community, individual Indigenous harvesters are designated by their communities to access the FSC fishery, as specified under the Aboriginal Communal Fishing Licences Regulations.
• The Department’s position has been that FSC catches cannot be sold.
• DFO will continue to conduct monitoring, control and surveillance activities with the objective of ensuring access to orderly, safe and sustainable fisheries in support of the Department’s management objectives.

The Sale of Food, Social and Ceremonial (FSC) Catches
• Food, social and ceremonial allocations are based on consultations between DFO and individual Indigenous communities; food, social and ceremonial harvesting is only for the Indigenous harvester and/or their communities and allocations are not intended for sale.
• Fishery officers continue to monitor fishing activities in all food, social and ceremonial fisheries, and have taken a range of targeted enforcement actions to address illegal fishing and buying of these catches.
• We work with all harvesters to ensure that the Fisheries Act is followed, and Indigenous fishing rights are respected.