Sipekne’katik First Nation bans Houston, cabinet ministers in scathing rebuke

Sipekne’katik First Nation is once again chastising the Houston government and says that the premier and two of his cabinet ministers are not welcome on reserve lands.

In a news release Tuesday, Chief Michelle Glasgow said she and band council for the Mi’kmaw community have adopted a resolution that Premier Tim Houston, Justice Minister Scott Armstrong and L’nu Affairs Minister Leah Martin are banned “as undesirables” from band property.

“Premier Houston has lost all credibility as the province’s elected Premier; he continues to be ill-advised on anything related to L’nu Affairs and continues to violate constitutionally protected Mi’kmaw rights,” Glasgow said in the release. “They don’t have our best interest at heart.”

Breaking the ban could result in a $50,000 fine, the statement says.

“This banning is not only for our protection, but for theirs,” Glasgow added.

The premier’s office said in a brief statement to CBC News that “Government takes safety threats on the Premier and Ministers very seriously.”

Glasgow said that Houston has not visited the First Nation in central Nova Scotia or developed relationships with Sipekne’katik’s elected leaders since he came into office in 2021.

“He has continued to radicalize colonial practices to suppress our community and fellow Mi’kmaw by forming Laws that direct harm against us,” she said.

Houston should be “deeply ashamed” of appointing Armstrong and Martin, she added, saying Armstrong is not following “the highest law of Canada, the Constitution,” and Martin — who is Mi’kmaw — is “a disrespectful person who has no right to speak on our behalf.” 

Sipekne’katik has previously called for Martin’s resignation.

The statement does not point to any specific actions taken by the Houston government, and no one from Sipekne’katik immediately responded to an interview request.

It comes less than a week after Armstrong directed police agencies to crack down on illegal cannabis dispensaries, which Mi’kmaw chiefs decried as a targeted attack. Glasgow has said she was “appalled” by the directive.

The rebuke from Sipekne’katik is another blow to an already fractured relationship between Houston and First Nations. 

Mi’kmaw chiefs and grassroots people have called out the Houston government repeatedly this year for failing to consult as it pushes for more natural resources development, and for passing legislation that was perceived to target Mi’kmaw land protectors.

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