The Peace and Friendship Trading Post off Hwy 303 in Digby, N.S. is a common stop for locals and tourists looking to purchase Mi’kmaq gifts, clothing and cannabis.
Owner Dustin Whitman alleges it’s that last product that has led to multiple RCMP raids as well as his arrest.
“There’s no reason for the way that I was treated in there. I was also told by one of the officers that I didn’t look like I was a Mi’kmaq man,” he said.
“This is Mi’kmaqi, this is where I live and this is my home.”
During the latest raid in January, Whitman alleges cannabis products were seized and that he was arrested.
He also alleges he wasn’t shown a warrant, court order or written document authorizing his arrest, and was detained for 23 hours without charges. As well, he alleges he was placed in a windowless cell and, at one point, placed in leg cuffs.
He feels police are trying to “break” him.
“They’re basically trying to break me to the point where I won’t reopen again,” he said.
When asked about Whitman’s experience, Premier Tim Houston told Global News on Wednesday that he stands behind the RCMP’s actions.
After the federal government legalized recreational cannabis in 2018, the province brought in the Cannabis Control Act, which made the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC) the exclusive legal retailer of cannabis in the province.
Last month, the province said a review found at least 118 illegal outlets were in operation in comparison to 51 legal NSLC cannabis stores.
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“The courts had been very clear on this. It’s illegal, and we can’t stand by and accept illegal activity in our communities because there’s all kinds of negative ramifications of that,” said Houston.
“So I encourage law enforcement to continue to enforce the laws of the province.”
In a statement, Southwest Nova Scotia RCMP Supt. Jason Popik said, “Mr. Whitman was arrested on the strength of an unendorsed provincial court warrant of arrest.”
The statement went on to say, “(Whitman) was transported to Digby RCMP detachment and lodged in detachment cells overnight.” Popik also said the cell was standard-sized and “Mr. Whitman was not placed in shackles by RCMP.”
‘We are not criminals’
Whitman spoke Tuesday night in Digby, N.S., at a public debate. Organizers had invited Nova Scotia Justice Minister Scott Armstrong and Supt. Popik to participate, but neither attended the meeting.
“We called this forum as a place to have an open, friendly, peaceful, respectful debate and discussion about these issues,” said Tom Keefer, assistant to Chief Delbert Riley, a former national chief.
“Unfortunately, Jason Popik said, ‘No, I’m not coming, and I don’t have anyone I can send.’ Scott Armstrong didn’t even bother to reply to (the association).”
The meeting was organized amid an influx of raids on stores and truckhouses that sell cannabis in the province.
The action has prompted members of the Mi’kmaq Rights Association to call for the government and RCMP to come to the table for discussions on cannabis dispensaries in Nova Scotia.
“We are not criminals. We’re out here just like everybody else is trying to make a living for our families,” said Roger Toney, an executive member of the association.
In December, the Nova Scotia government , with the premier saying the unregulated drug poses a serious public health risk.
The province has also said the crackdown on illegal cannabis shops was motivated in part by a desire to rein in human trafficking and ensure cannabis sold in the province isn’t contaminated with fentanyl.
However, both the federal justice minister and local police say there haven’t been reports of human trafficking linked to contraband cannabis. Police also confirmed there is no evidence of fentanyl present in seized cannabis.
The crackdown on the dispensaries has also raised questions about Mi’kmaq treaty rights, self-governance and Indigenous sovereignty.
Keefer argues that multiple clauses in the Treaty of 1752 support Indigenous people’s rights to subsist off the sale of cannabis.
And Chief Riley, who is the former chief of the National Indian Brotherhood — the organization responsible for forming the Assembly of First Nations — says the Mi’kmaq Rights Association will go to court to resolve these tensions if necessary.
“We’re winning all the cases and we’ll continue to win,” said Riley.
Global News reached out to Armstrong for an interview, but he declined to comment.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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