LCSSD Income Assistance program will be offering low-income individuals and families free winter gear. See the poster below for more details.
Please call Brandey Barnaby at 418-788-2909 to make an appointment to fill out the required paperwork or for more information.
PRESS RELEASE
Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government calls for moratorium on shrimp fishery in the estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence
Minister asked to issue additional lobster licenses to offset impact on First Nations and industry
-French version to follow-
December 6, 2023, Listuguj, QC – Shrimp stocks in the estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence are on the brink of complete collapse. The ecosystem is experiencing major changes caused by climate change. Average water temperatures are at recorded highs. Shrimp landings are at historic lows. The Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government is calling for a moratorium to protect what few shrimp are left.
“As Mi’gmaq, we are guided by the principle of ango’tmu’q: taking care of something in a careful manner. It would be a violation of ango’tmu’q for us to continue fishing shrimp,” said Scott Martin, Chief of the Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government. “We will not fish our quota next year, and we call on the Minister to impose a moratorium.”
With water temperatures and predation by other species only expected to increase, northern shrimp stocks in the estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence are not expected to improve in the foreseeable future. Since northern shrimp plays a key role as a forage species, low abundance of northern shrimp could have negative consequences for other species that depend on them as a food source, like redfish, cod, and halibut. Weak shrimp stocks highlight the vulnerability to climate change of the entire estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence ecosystem.
Diane Lebouthillier, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, will be meeting with First Nations and industry stake holders in Québec City on December 7 and 8 to discuss the future of the shrimp fishery. At those meetings, the Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government will push for a moratorium.
“We need to be realistic,” said Chief Martin. “Climate change has killed the northern shrimp fishery. That’s the truth. No one wants to be the person who hauls in the last shrimp.”
Not all fisheries are in such a dire state. Lobster stocks, for example, have never been better. Both total landing and catch per unit effort are at all-time highs. All available data indicate that the lobster stocks are healthy.
The Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government sees the lobster fishery as presenting an opportunity to mitigate some of the impact of the failing shrimp fishery. It could also be an opportunity for Canada to implement First Nations’ fishing rights under the Peace and Friendship Treaties, which the Supreme Court of Canada upheld in the Marshall decisions. The Minister could do both by issuing new lobster licences and distributing them to First Nations first, in acknowledgement the priority of rights-based fisheries.
“There has never been a better time to open new access to the lobster fishery,” said Chief Martin. “Fisheries management needs to be flexible in response to climate change. Warmer water is changing the ecosystem. The way we fish needs to change too.”
For more information or interviews, please contact:
Victoria Belton
Senior Consultant
416-997-5179
Victoria.Belton@mediaprofile.com
Mike Isaac
Communications Manager
418-788-2136
Michael.Isaac@listuguj.ca
Le gouvernement mi’gmaq de Listuguj demande un moratoire sur la pêche à la crevette dans l’estuaire et le golfe du Saint-Laurent
La ministre est demandé de délivrer des permis de pêche au homard supplémentaires pour compenser les répercussions sur les Premières Nations et l’industrie.
6 décembre 2023, Listuguj (Québec) – Les stocks de crevettes dans l’estuaire et le golfe du Saint-Laurent sont sur le point de s’effondrer complètement. L’écosystème subit des changements majeurs causés par les changements climatiques. En effet, les températures moyennes de l’eau atteignent des sommets records. Les débarquements de crevettes n’ont jamais été aussi bas. Par conséquent, le gouvernement mi’gmaq de Listuguj demande un moratoire pour protéger les quelques crevettes qui restent.
« En tant que Mi’gmaq, nous sommes guidés par le principe d’ango’tmu’q, soit prendre soin de quelque chose avec attention. Il s’agirait d’une violation d’ango’tmu’q de continuer à pêcher la crevette, a déclaré Scott Martin, chef du gouvernement mi’gmaq de Listuguj. Nous n’allons pas pêcher notre quota l’année prochaine, et nous demandons à la ministre d’imposer un moratoire. »
Comme la température de l’eau et la prédation par d’autres espèces ne devraient qu’augmenter, les stocks de crevettes nordiques dans l’estuaire et le golfe du Saint-Laurent ne devraient pas s’améliorer dans un avenir prévisible. Comme la crevette nordique joue un rôle clé en tant qu’espèce fourragère, sa faible abondance pourrait avoir des conséquences négatives sur d’autres espèces qui en dépendent comme source de nourriture, comme le sébaste, la morue et le flétan. La faiblesse des stocks de crevettes met en évidence la vulnérabilité aux changements climatiques de l’ensemble de l’écosystème de l’estuaire et du golfe du Saint-Laurent.
Diane Lebouthillier, ministre des Pêches, des Océans et de la Garde côtière canadienne, rencontrera les Premières Nations et les intervenants de l’industrie à Québec les 7 et 8 décembre pour discuter de l’avenir de la pêche à la crevette. Lors de ces réunions, le gouvernement mi’gmaq de Listuguj réclamera un moratoire.
« Nous devons être réalistes, a déclaré le chef Martin. Les changements climatiques ont tué la pêche à la crevette nordique. Point à la ligne. Personne ne veut être celui qui remonte la dernière crevette. »
Les pêches ne sont pas toutes dans un état aussi désastreux. Les stocks de homard, par exemple, n’ont jamais été meilleurs. Le total des débarquements et les prises par unité d’effort atteint des sommets sans précédent. Toutes les données disponibles indiquent que les stocks de homard sont sains.
Le gouvernement mi’gmaq de Listuguj considère la pêche au homard comme une occasion d’atténuer une partie des répercussions de l’échec de la pêche à la crevette. Ce pourrait aussi être une occasion pour le Canada de mettre en œuvre les droits de pêche des Premières Nations en vertu des traités de paix et d’amitié, que la Cour suprême du Canada a confirmés dans les décisions Marshall. La ministre pourrait faire d’une pierre deux coups en délivrant de nouveaux permis de pêche au homard et en les distribuant d’abord aux Premières Nations, en reconnaissance de la priorité accordée aux pêches fondées sur les droits.
« Il n’y a jamais eu de meilleur moment pour ouvrir un nouvel accès à la pêche au homard, a déclaré le chef Martin. La gestion des pêches doit être souple face aux changements climatiques. L’eau plus chaude modifie l’écosystème, et la façon dont nous pêchons doit changer aussi. »
Pour en savoir davantage ou pour obtenir une entrevue, veuillez communiquer avec :
Victoria Belton
Consultante principale
416 997-5179
Victoria.Belton@mediaprofile.com
Mike Isaac
Gestionnaire, Communications
418 788-2136
The Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government held a Governance Symposium on November 15th and 16th at the Listuguj Community Development Centre
To read the publication on this event, click here..
PRESS RELEASE
Federal Court affirms validity of recognition of Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation’s rights and Indigenous laws regarding its fisheries in agreement with Canada
Organizations representing non-Indigenous commercial fishers had sought to have recognition declared illegal and invalid
LISTUGUJ, QC October 19, 2023 — The Federal Court of Canada has upheld the recognition of the Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nations’s rights and Indigenous laws regarding its fisheries provided for in a groundbreaking agreement with Canada. The decision, made public on October 12, 2023, largely dismissed a challenge to the agreement from organizations representing non-Indigenous commercial fishers.
“The court’s decision validates our aboriginal and treaty rights as well as our laws regarding our fisheries,” said Scott Martin, Chief of the Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government. “I hope that non-Indigenous fishers will now accept that our rights and laws are a constitutional fact. That is the starting point for true reconciliation.”
In April 2021, Canada and Listuguj signed a Rights Reconciliation Agreement on Fisheries (RRA). In the agreement, Canada confirms that Listuguj has a right to fish commercially for a moderate livelihood pursuant to the Peace and Friendship Treaties, as the Supreme Court of Canada recognized in the Marshall decisions. Canada also recognizes that Listuguj has its own Indigenous laws by which it governs its fisheries. The agreement creates a process that helps Listuguj and the DFO coordinate fisheries governance and enforcement.
A group of organizations representing non-Indigenous commercial fishers (the Applicants) applied to the Federal Court for judicial review of the RRA, seeking to have the agreement declared illegal, null, and void. The Applicants included the Regroupement des Pêcheurs Professionels du Sud de la Gaspésie, the Maritime Fishermen’s Union, the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association, and the Gulf Nova Scotia Fleet Planning Board. Listuguj brought a motion to have the application thrown out prior to a hearing on the merits. That motion was largely successful.
The Applicants argued the RRA was invalid because Canada could not recognize aboriginal or treaty rights in an agreement before those rights have been declared by a court. The court dismissed this argument, finding that the Crown has an “obligation to seek negotiated solutions to Aboriginal or treaty rights disputes.”
The Applicants also argued that recognition of First Nations’ laws governing the exercise of fishing rights impinges on the Minister’s authorities under the Constitution and the Fisheries Act. Again, the court rejected this argument, finding that “[o]ne aspect of collective Aboriginal or treaty rights is the community’s right to exercise control over how its members exercise that right.”
The court did allow the application to proceed to a hearing on one question: whether Canada ought to have engaged with the Applicants prior to signing the RRA. The judge emphasized, however, “[i]f there is any duty on the Ministers to engage or involve the Applicants in the
negotiation process, it is not in any meaningful respect equivalent to the constitutional duty to consult Aboriginal peoples.”
“We are confident that if this case proceeds, we will prevail,” said Chief Martin. “We have inherent rights to fish and govern ourselves. These rights can no longer be denied.”
The decision makes clear that the interests of Listuguj and non-Indigenous fishers are on a different footing: “The section 35 rights asserted by [Listuguj] and acknowledged in the RRA are worthy of recognition and respect. The interests advanced by the Applicants arise as a matter of license or privilege – and exist at the discretion of the Minister.”
Despite the legal challenge, Listuguj and Canada have cooperated to implement RRA. These efforts have enabled Listuguj to exercise its treaty rights to fish lobster commercially in the fall, assume responsibility for enforcement in its lobster fishery, and, most recently, expand its lobster fishery into waters adjacent to the community that Canada previously considered unregulated.
For more information or interviews, please contact:
Mike Isaac
Communications Manager
418-788-2136
Michael.Isaac@listuguj.ca
The Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government (LMG) intends to construct a new Band Office Building to include various LMG directorates and the Chief and Council chambers. The Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government (LMG) has released a Request for Proposal (RFP) to obtain proposals in compliance with The Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government (LMG) tender policy from interested consultant firms to carry out the detailed design, cost estimate, contract documents and tender administration/supervision fees for the Band Office B Project in located Listuguj, Quebec.
Deadline for proposal submissions is October 19, 2023 – 10:00 AM Atlantic time. LMG is accepting both digital and paper submissions. Submissions must be sent to the following emails prior to the closing date of the tender:
RFP ADDENDUM No. 1:
To extend the original closing date of the Request for Proposal by two weeks; all submissions should be received before 10:00 AM Atlantic Time/9:00 AM Eastern Time on November 2, 2023.
RFP ADDENDUM No. 2:
To extend the original closing date of the Request for Proposal by one week; all submissions should be received before 10:00 AM Atlantic Time/9:00 AM Eastern Time on November 9, 2023
What is the budget for this project? Project budget to be determined by the consultant based on the space requirement provided in the Request for Proposal (RFP.)
Chief Executive Officer – Bassem Abdrabou
E-mail: bassem.abdrabou@listuguj.ca
Assistant Director – Jessica Hottot
Email: jessica.hottot@listuguj.ca
Project Coordinator – Jarvis White
E-mail: jarvis.white@listuguj.ca
COMMUNITY RELEASE
GUEST HARVESTERS IN LISTUGUJ TERRITORY WILL NEED PERMISSION
September 15, 2023.- Indigenous people from communities outside of Gespe’gewa’gi, will require written permission from the LMG – a Letter of Communal Authority – to harvest in on Listuguj territory within Gespe’gewa’gi, even if they are accompanied by a Listuguj community member.
The LMG implemented the Listuguj Tia’m Harvesting Policy for the conservation and protection of Tia’m (moose) resources within Gespe’gewa’gi territory. The Policy guides who can hunt and how hunting will take place on Listuguj territory within Gespe’gewa’gi. The Natural Resource Directorate, in collaboration with Public Security (Mi’gmaq Rangers) will review and process requests for Letters of Communal Authority (i.e., permits) and will manage the implementation of the Listuguj Tia’m Harvesting Policy and its Guidelines. Harvesting dates for Guest Harvesters are from Treaty Day, October 1, 2023, to October 30, 2023.
First Nations protocols acknowledge that Aboriginal rights only apply within one’s traditional territory. In recent years there have been increased reports of unauthorized harvesting and trespassing on Gespe’gewa’gi lands during the Tia’m harvesting season. The LMG’s goal is to ensure that unauthorized access is eliminated and that Indigenous people with permission to harvest on our lands are complying with our new Listuguj Tia’m Harvesting Policy and its Guidelines for Guest Harvesters.
The Listuguj Tia’m Harvesting Policy is established for the conservation and protection of Tia’mresources within Gespe’gewa’gi and is based on the Listuguj Proclamation on Moose Harvesting adopted by the Honouring our Land Mawiomi on March 23, 2019. Listuguj Mi’gmaq do not require permission to harvest and are encouraged to continue with our respectful harvesting traditions and the teaching of Netugulimg, (only take what you need).
The application form for Letters of Communal Authority is available on the LMG website.
For more information contact:
Amber Brisk, Listuguj Natural Resources Directorate
44 Dundee Road, Listuguj, Gespe’gewa’gi (Qc)
E-mail: amber.brisk@listuguj.ca
Listuguj Natural Resources Department would like to invite community members to their Ghost Gear Community Presentation happening on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 from 5-7PM at the Community Hall.
For more information, please contact Christy Metallic at 418-788-3022 ext. 3248.
To hear the harmful effects of Ghost Gear on our marine ecosystem, click below:
Muin Ji’j Center Before & After School Program Registration
Registration for the Muin Ji’j Center before and after school program will be held Thursday, September 14th at 10AM, at the LCSSD building, 2 GEF St.
This program is open for children in Nursery to Grade 1. Should parents choose to pre-fill forms needed for registration, they may access them in the link below.
For more information, please contact Alicia Simon at 418-788-3039.
Click here for the registration form!
Please see the attached Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government Annual Budget for 2021- 2022.
For more information, contact 418-788-2136.
Please note, there was an error in the initial chart.
Here is the corrected, up-to-date information.
