COCMA Organizing Committee Chair Allister Surette
A press release at 10:30 on Friday night from Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Bernadette Jordan to announce a Federal Special Representative to ‘rebuild trust’ between commercial and Indigenous fishers.
Allister Surette has been tapped for the role.
Surette is President and Vice-Chancellor of Université Sainte-Anne.
His mandate is to gather the different perspectives on the issues, seek to build understanding, and make recommendations to a wide range of stakeholders so parties can move toward a resolution.
The release says Surette will begin his work immediately.
The release notes that the right to fish in pursuit of a moderate livelihood stems from the 1760-61 Peace and Friendship Treaties, and has been reaffirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada under the Marshall Decision.
The Government says it is dedicated to implementing the right to a moderate livelihood.
