Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says blocking highways is unacceptable after traffic was brought to a standstill by First Nations protesters late last week.
Houston said in a Saturday evening statement that roadways “are our lifeblood” and need to be kept accessible for people travelling for critical reasons like medical appointments.
Potlotek First Nation says it rejects the RCMP’s description of earlier protests as an “illegal blockade” — but didn’t give specific legal rationale in a news release Saturday.
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Its leaders said blocking Highway 4 after Mounties raided a community cannabis shop Thursday was instead a “powerful demonstration of unity and solidarity across our Nation.”
Two men were arrested and product was seized in Thursday morning’s raid — the latest amid a crackdown by Nova Scotia on unregulated marijuana.
The RCMP says its officers left seven vehicles behind after heavy equipment was used to block the two-lane highway and only recovered them the following day.
Houston said that treatment of the RCMP is also not acceptable and that law enforcement must always be supported.
Nova Scotia says that cannabis sales aren’t a treaty right because only Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. is allowed to sell the product.
Potlotek is also telling Nova Scotia leaders that any enforcement without respecting Mi’kmaw jurisdiction creates conflict and risks public safety.
The escalating war of words between the provincial government and Indigenous leaders marks the latest escalation in tensions over the issue of Indigenous jurisdiction in Nova Scotia.
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