British Columbia (Rajeev Sharma): British Columbia’s First Nations are urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to meet with them to address the urgent need to protect and restore wild salmon populations.
Bob Chamberlin, chair of the First Nations Wild Salmon Alliance—a coalition representing over 120 First Nations—called for a collaborative, Indigenous-led plan to safeguard wild salmon, similar in approach to the joint land-use strategy employed for the Great Bear Rainforest.
“We invite Prime Minister Carney to visit British Columbia to engage with us on a comprehensive initiative to rehabilitate and rebuild wild salmon populations as part of a nation-building effort,” Chamberlin said during a Monday news conference. “This plan must respect Indigenous rights, advance reconciliation, support environmental health, and benefit the broad economy that depends on wild salmon.”
Chamberlin expressed concerns about the federal government’s wavering commitment to banning open-net salmon farms by 2029, after initially aiming to implement the ban by 2025.
Salmon farming companies argue that the industry supports roughly 4,700 jobs and contributes more than $1 billion annually, warning that farm closures could negatively impact coastal communities.
“The salmon farming industry has significant financial resources to influence Ottawa,” Chamberlin said. “We don’t have those deep pockets, but we do have Aboriginal and inherent rights. Proper recognition and respect of these rights by both federal and provincial governments would benefit all First Nations and British Columbians.”
Meanwhile, the Coalition for First Nations Finfish Stewardship—which includes some coastal First Nations involved in salmon farming—issued a separate statement on Monday distancing itself from the Wild Salmon Alliance’s position.
The coalition affirmed its support for continuing salmon farming on Indigenous traditional territories, emphasizing the importance of the industry amid rising food insecurity, global trade challenges, and housing crises.
“Canada cannot afford to close down a modern, sustainable, Indigenous-led industry at a time when food security, economic stability, and social well-being are under pressure,” the coalition’s statement said. It also urged the federal government to honor its commitment to a genuine Nation-to-Nation consultation process.
