Paul Prosper, a Mi’kmaw senator representing Nova Scotia, has released a report of an eight-month “listening tour” throughout Mi’kma’ki.
Appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2023, Prosper said he and his team met with 1,701 people across the region.
“Every part of Mi’kma’ki faces the same issues, to varying degrees,” Prosper said in the report called ReconciliAction. “Some regions have been fortunate to have better access to services and more infrastructure and/or industry, whether that be due to location or the foresight of leadership, while others are more remote and struggle to provide the same opportunities other communities have.”
According to the report, a common issue facing the 28 Mi’kmaw communities Prosper and his staff visisted was governance.
“A core feature of governance related to the recognition and respect for Mi’kmaw rights and whether they be Aboriginal and Treaty Rights and so a lot of things flow from that,” Prosper told APTN News.
Prosper said along with fishing rights – policing is another concern.
Since 2020, three Mi’kmaw people – Chantel Moore, Rodney Levi and, more recently, Steven Dedam – have been fatally shot by police.
“Communities were quite consistent in terms of their need, expressing their need for communities to be safe and there are a number of things happening as they currently exist within negotiations of policing agreements,” said the senator.
Another issue high on people’s lists is health care, according to the report.
A number of communities have complained about racism in the health care system. Questions remain about the deaths of Bridget Anne Denny, Sarah Denny and Destiny Rennie.
“The matter of racism and discrimination and or discrimination being a systemic reality and circumstances for Mi’kmaw communities is something that was brought up on many occasions it existed pretty well wherever we travelled,” Prosper said.
Prosper noted he will be sharing the report with all members of parliament and advocate for the Mi’kmaw people.
“Now is the time to move forward to set an agenda to allow all parliamentarians to know what the unique realities that exists for the Mi’kmaw people, so it’s essentially going to guide my work here in Ottawa,” he said.
