The following document has just been brought to my attention: a letter, dated today, from the Yarmouth & Area Chamber of Commerce to the Minister of Fisheries and the Premier of Nova Scotia.

Basically a bullet point list followed by a couple personal thoughts:

What they want from the province:

To declare a state of emergency.

To send more RCMP to the area to set up a headquarters near the wharf.

To "supplement" other agencies like forestries.

And, of course, to "open a dialogue" with "affected communities."

What they want from govt of Canada:

- to stop all "traffic" through the fishing area for the next 48 hrs.

- to have DFO on the front lines.

- to have the airforce ready for search and rescue.

- to have the Coast Guard on standby.

(What they want from govt of Canada con't):

- to open an investigation into off season fishing and the "encroachment" of "non-local Natives".

- to set up negotiations with affected parties.

[Disclaimer: I'm a Listuguj Mi'gmaw. I'm not from Sipekne'katik and don't speak for anyone but myself]

A couple of my personal thoughts:

It's hard to see how the fulfillment of this kitchen sink list would "quell further escalation" since it seems to be a deliberate escalation.

Basically all of the points seem to reinforce the rightness of the commercial fishermen's cause and narratives.

I see no requests to investigate the destruction of Mi'kmaw lobster pots, the refusal of certain businesses to serve Natives, the threats and intimidation.

I see no request to investigate attempts to ram into Mi'kmaw fishing vessels.

I see no request to investigate why neither the federal nor the provincial levels of government have been able to get their shit together when it comes to Mi'gmaw commercial fisheries.

Anybody who has ever watched a single Alanis Obomsawin film in their life would know that calling for an influx of RCMP and DFO rarely improves a situation like this.

In fact, it usually means you're the bad guy.

See: "Is the Crown at War with Us?":