Various parties are coming out in defence of a Canoe Lake First Nation man convicted of illegally selling fish earlier this month.
Donald Iron was the target of a 16-month sting operation where he sold $90 worth of fish, without a commercial licence, to an undercover Saskatchewan conversation officer.
The officer posed as an air quality scientist in order to befriend Iron and gain his trust.
In a press release, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations admonishes the provincial government for what it says was such a large amount of resources used for little more than a petty infraction.
“This is another example of the government continuing to waste resources to fight First Nations exercising their inherent and treaty rights,” FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron says. “The government should be spending resources arresting crystal meth and opioid dealers, who have created epidemics in our communities. There are far more important issues to combat than a 16-month sting for $90 worth of fish.”
Canoe Lake Chief Francis Iron also says the whole investigation and conviction are unnecessarily high handed.
“It was kind of surprising that they took that much time on one person when they could be dealing with bigger issues,” he says. “For $90 worth of fish, the way they did things, it was so wrong.”
Chief Iron adds the First Nation is particularly upset Saskatchewan Environment did not consult with the elected leadership prior to commencing the sting operation and making the arrest on reserve land.
He also says he believes Donald Iron was unfairly entrapped by the conservation officer in the sting operation.
“The officer approached my band member. My band member had asked for tobacco and in our culture that’s a trade off – tobacco for fish. It’s our protocol. So, and then he just kind of manipulated everything.”
Donald Iron sold both northern pike and walleye to the conservation officer on three separate occasions between April and September 2017.
His sentencing date is set for Feb. 14.
The FSIN says it plans to hold a press conference on the issue next week.