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Turbot worth protecting but Innu aren't?

Author

Drew Hayden Taylor, Windspeaker Columnist

Volume

13

Issue

2

Year

1995

Page 9

OK, I'm confused. Maybe somebody out there can explain it to me. Canada, the great country that it is , gets very upset when Spanish trawlers invade what Canada considers to be "their territory" to fish for some fish nobody had every heard of called a turbot.

So as self-proclaimed "Custodians of the Fish Stocks," and to save the fishing industry in Eastern Canada, they must open fire on these fishing

boats to make their point.

OK, I accept that. Admittedly I know practically nothing about foreign affairs and if Ottawa says it's important, I'm willing to believe. I've got nothing against the turbot. Never met one but I'm sure they're a

fine fish. Fish Power!!! Maritime power!!!

But a few weeks later, the government turns a round and triples the number of low level military flights over the Innu hunting land,. You

remember the Innu, the Aboriginal people of Labrador who have been

fighting the unwarranted invasion of their traditional homelands by

incredibly thunderous fighter jets.

It seems the loud and sudden noises not only scare the you-know-what

out of the Innu but also the caribou and other animals they hunt.

Now let's recap. Ottawa is willing to practically go to war over

Spanish over-fishing to preserve a way of life for Canadian fishermen.

Ottawa is also willing to ignore its own increased and unwanted presence

roaring over Innu land that will, quite probably, end a way of life that

has existed for thousands of years.

Now what's wrong with this picture? The fish are worth protecting but

the Innu aren't. Hmmmm?

One suggestion to rectify the situation is to have the Innu change

their name to Turbot, and vice versa. That way, their culture will be

preserved, if only a little oddly named, and the low level jets can have

a heck of a time scaring the hell out of the Spanish fishing fleet in

exchange. Makes sense to me.

But there's one final thing that puzzles me. Why did they choose

turbots over the Innu? Some back room politicking no doubt. Maybe the

turbot have curried some influence in Ottawa. A fish lobby, perhaps.

That's one school . . . of thought. I've always figured there was

something fishy happening in Ottawa.

Anything can happen there and usually does. I think somebody should

check it out, you know, just for . . . dare I say it . . . for the

halibut.