HALIFAX — People on both sides of a fishing dispute in Nova Scotia say the defeat of the fisheries minister in the federal election Monday night is a sign Ottawa needs to solve the problem.

Sipekne'katik First Nation Chief Mike Sack said today he thinks Bernadette Jordan lost her riding in part because she didn't show enough leadership in regard to his band's demand to fish for lobster outside the federally regulated season.

Sack says he hopes the federal government won't keep Indigenous territories such as his in poverty.

Lex Brukovskiy, president of Local 9 of the Maritime Fishermen's Union, said today he too thinks Jordan paid for the unrest in southwestern Nova Scotia between Indigenous and non-Indigenous fishers.

Brukovskiy says the result in the riding of South Shore—St. Margarets is a clear message that commercial fishers like himself deserve a seat at the negotiating table regarding demands from Indigenous fishers.

Cape Breton University political scientist Tom Urbaniak said today Jordan's loss is a sign the minority Liberal government will need to find a fair and thoughtful resolution to a conflict he says past governments have let fester.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2021.

The Canadian Press