Chiefs Call for a Moratorium on Community Raids and Open Dialogue with Provincial Government

Press Release

April 9, 2026

Mi’kma’ki – Last week, traffic slow downs happened across Mi’kma’ki where Mi’kmaw community members expressed concerns with the provincial government’s direction to the RCMP to conduct raids on cannabis stores in our communities.  Subsequently, on April 4, 2026, Premier Houston issued a message on social media to address the situation.

In his message, Premier Houston referred to Mi’kmaw actions through traffic slowdowns on Highways 102 and 4 as ‘unlawful obstruction’.

“All Canadians have the constitutional right to protest, which is protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. While Premier Houston may not agree with the mechanism communities chose, he cannot control how individuals choose to exercise their rights,” said Chief Leroy Denny, Co-Chair of the Maw-lukutijik Saqmaq.

Since 2017, the Maw-lukutijik Saqmaq (Assembly) has attempted to work with both the federal and provincial governments on how the legalization of cannabis would be enacted in our Mi’kmaw communities. Despite solid evidence being provided in reports, research and studies, including findings from their own task forces and departments, these two governments have neglected to include the Mi’kmaq in these discussions.

Despite statements in his public message on April 4 and reiterated by the Minister of Justice, Scott Armstrong, to the media on April 8, neither Premier Houston nor any member of his government has reached out to the Assembly to meet, and they have not responded to any requests we have submitted.

“We have long offered solutions to the provincial government on how Mi’kmaq could exercise our right to self-govern and still be transparent with them on how we intended to manage the sale of cannabis in our communities, but Nova Scotia has not been open to having any conversations with Mi’kmaw leadership,” said Chief Sidney Peters, Co-Chair of the Maw-lukutijik Saqmaq.

The Assembly remains firm that they will continue to assert their Mi’kmaw Right to self-govern, which includes jurisdiction over economic development, community safety and the regulation of what happens on our lands.  Recent meetings with the federal government continue to reiterate that position yet, also look to find solutions to work Nation-to-Nation on this important issue.

“We demand a moratorium be put on any other raids in our communities until we’ve had an opportunity to have real Nation-to-Nation conversations with Nova Scotia on the issues at hand. We will continue to leave the door open for dialogue with Premier Houston, he just needs to act on our repeated offers to meet,” continued Chief Peters.

ILR5