The Nunatsiavut Government says federal fisheries minister Joyce Murray is violating the spirit and intent of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement by not allowing Labrador Inuit access to a greater portion of the northern shrimp quota off the north coast of Labrador.

Nunatsiavut President Johannes Lampe says they have a constitutionally-protected right to new fishing opportunities within and adjacent to Nunatsiavut—something he says Minister Murray “continues to blatantly ignore.”

The Nunatsiavut Government currently has access to about 10 per cent of the quota in SFA 4 along the north coast of Labrador, but they believe they should have greater access to the existing quota, and access to adjacent areas like the Davis Strait.

Nunatsiavut is calling on the minister to revisit her decision as part of Canada’s commitment to reconciliation, and reallocate quotas in the region with Labrador Inuit being the primary benefactors.