TORONTO -- During an emergency debate in the House of Commons, opposition parties have accused the Liberal government of inaction in the ongoing dispute between Indigenous and commercial lobster fishers in Nova Scotia.

The dispute saw further turmoil this past weekend when a a lobster pound used by Mi鈥檏maq fishers in the area.

鈥淭he Indigenous community and the non-Indigenous community agree on one thing: the inaction of this government is unacceptable,鈥 Conservative Leader Erin O鈥橳oole said during the Monday night debate. 鈥淓veryone involved in this issue deserves the respect and attention of their government and it is the Liberals鈥 inaction on this that has led to escalating tension and violence.鈥

O鈥橳oole said he brought concerns about the rising tensions between fisheries in western Nova Scotia directly to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month after hearing from local lobster fisheries -- Indigenous and non-Indigenous -- as well as from Chris D鈥橢ntremont, the local MP for the region.

鈥淯nfortunately, tensions in Nova Scotia show the dangers of a government that is scared of making decisions, a government that simply hopes that problems will simply evaporate,鈥 he said in French.

In response, Trudeau defended his government by indicating that it approved additional resources to increase the police presence in the region over the weekend and pledged to work with both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities to come up with a resolution.

鈥淲e need to have an approach that doesn't just recognize inherent treaty rights, but implements their spirit and intent,鈥 Trudeau said. 鈥淭hat's why we will work with commercial fishers and the Canadians to ensure that this is done fairly. I understand that this is challenging, but this isn't an inconvenience, but an obligation. If we are truly to be the country that we like to think of ourselves as, this is the road we must walk.鈥

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, meanwhile, questioned if the same inaction would be allowed to continue if it had been against a non-Indigenous community and called for immediate action in the matter.

鈥淲e want answers today. We want commitments today,鈥 he said.  鈥淭his is an emergency because 鈥 there is a real threat that this violence will escalate and people will lose their lives and that cannot happen and so we need immediate action right now.鈥

Among the issues under dispute is the Indigenous people鈥檚 right to make a 鈥溾 and to fish outside the federally-determined fishing season, rights established in treaties hundreds of years ago and upheld by the Supreme Court in 1999. Some non-Indigenous critics have pointed to a clarification issued by the court that said the rights were to be subject to federal regulations as proof the rights may be reinterpreted.

Singh pointed to the fact that both Conservative and Liberal governments have had a chance to define what a moderate livelihood means since the 1999 decision.

鈥淭he reason why we have this emergency debate is to make this government, this Liberal government, do something about it,鈥 he said.

鈥淭here has been a court decision for over two decades, and yet neither has a Conservative government or the Liberal government done anything to ensure that the decision that was made is now implemented in law.鈥

MINISTERS CONDEMN VIOLENCE AGAINST FIRST NATIONS FISHERS

During the debate, Trudeau was clear to condemn any and all violent acts against the Indigenous fishers of Nova Scotia.

鈥淭here is no place for racism in our country,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he appalling violence in Nova Scotia must stop now. It's unacceptable. It is shameful and it is criminal.鈥

Bernadette Jordan, minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, as well as a Nova Scotian, called the acts over the weekend 鈥渄isgusting.鈥

鈥淚 know that Canadians across the country feel this way, too, and that the current situation in Nova Scotia cannot continue,鈥 she said. 鈥淭here's no place for the threats, for the intimidation, or for the vandalism that we witnessed.鈥

Earlier on Monday, four federal ministers 鈥 including Jordan -- condemned the acts of violence and called for a peaceful end to the dispute.

鈥淭he reckless violence and the racist threats that we have seen do nothing to bring us closer to a resolution. They only serve to divide us,鈥 said Public Safety Minister Bill Blair during a Monday news conference, adding that RCMP are reviewing a variety of video evidence of violence and that people will be held accountable.

鈥淭he violence must come to an end now. It is the only way to give us all an opportunity to find a peaceful, lasting solution.鈥

FIRST NATIONS TO DEFINE 鈥楳ODERATE LIVLIEHOOD鈥 THEMSELVES

On Sunday, Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil said the federal government must define 鈥渕oderate livelihood鈥 as it relates to an Indigenous fishery, but ministers on Monday were hesitant to agree.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe it鈥檚 up to the federal government to define what a moderate livelihood is,鈥 Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bernadette Jordan told CTV鈥檚 Power Play. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something that is determined at the negotiation table in collaboration with First Nations communities. The last thing First Nations communities want is for the federal government to tell them what a moderate livelihood is.鈥

Meanwhile, Sipekne'katik Chief Mike Sack said if the federal government won鈥檛 negotiate with the Mi'kmaq to help define moderate livelihood, they will simply do it themselves.

鈥淭he treaty鈥檚 between both of us,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey haven鈥檛 been upholding it like they should, so if they鈥檙e not capable of doing that, we鈥檒l get it defined ourselves.鈥

CTV News commentator and former Grand Chief for Northern Manitoba Sheila North agreed that the definition is up to the Indigenous people, not the government. North linked what she called repeated rights denials across the country to systemic economic and health issues experienced by Indigenous people, including vulnerability to the COVID-19 pandemic.

鈥淗unting and livelihoods are at the heart of it. Indigenous people have been denied these rights for many generations. That鈥檚 why a lot of people are sick, that鈥檚 why we keep calling Indigenous people and communities the most vulnerable during this pandemic time, because they haven鈥檛 been given the right and access to live out what they have a treaty right to, living off the land and supporting their families through these practices that have been there for many, many generations,鈥 she said.

鈥淭his is, in a bigger context, more than just lobster and access to it.鈥

McNEIL PROPOSES THREE-PERSON PANEL, RECEIVES PUSHBACK

McNeil said in a statement on Monday that he had a 鈥渃onstructive conversation鈥 with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday evening and the two agreed on the 鈥渘eed for all parties to engage in respectful dialogue aimed at upholding the Marshall Decision and the Mi鈥檏maq treaty right to fish while respecting commercial fishers and ensuring the conservation and sustainability of the fishery.鈥

鈥淒uring our discussion, I raised the idea of a facilitated process. I suggested to him that a three-person panel be struck, with one member chosen by First Nations, one by the commercial fishermen, and the third would be agreed to by all, including the Department of Fisheries and Oceans,鈥 McNeil said in the statement.

McNeil鈥檚 suggestion has received pushback from both the local First Nation and the federal government, however. 

鈥淭he commercial fishermen don鈥檛 have any input on our right to self-govern ourselves, nor do they have a right to define our moderate livelihood,鈥 Sack said. 鈥淭hey have no place at the table for our treaty rights.鈥

鈥淚n my mind, Minister Jordan represents them. She does a good job at that and their nation is Canada, our nation is Mi'kmaq, so we鈥檒l deal with it that way.鈥

Jordan also pushed back against the idea of a three-person panel to find a resolution.

鈥淭he negotiations happen nation to nation. That is between the federal government and Sipekne'katik,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hat is the absolute way we see this moving forward.鈥

Jordan did say however that she would make sure the concerns among commercial fisheries would be heard.

ADDITIONAL OFFICERS DEPLOYED

To ensure that peace, more RCMP officers were deployed to Nova Scotia from neighbouring Atlantic provinces over the weekend, a move that pleased Sack, who told reporters on Monday that in addition to violence, Mi鈥檏maq fishers, who operate more than 500 traps under 11 different licences, have also experienced interference with the fishing itself.

Some fishermen and women were unable to sell lobsters, others were blocked from obtaining traps or fuel. In addition to the new RCMP deployment on the ground, Sack said that he hopes there is increased enforcement at sea.

鈥淲e need some safety on the water and protection on the water,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 think more charges need to be laid to ensure no actions are being taken against anyone.鈥

Sack said he鈥檚 received violent and racist threats 鈥渙n a daily basis.鈥

鈥淚t鈥檚 unfortunate,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 2020, we all live together鈥 people need to accept people and it鈥檚 just sad.鈥

Still, he鈥檚 optimistic the dispute will be resolved, adding that Indigenous representatives are in talks with Jordan on how to move forward.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been an emotional roller coaster for our people. There鈥檚 fear, sadness, frustration,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut our people are very resilient. Quitting is not in our blood.鈥 

Concern from commercial fishermen about the lobster supply was addressed Monday when Jordan said that the stock is healthy and that environmental concerns are the 鈥渒ey priority鈥 for Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

鈥淸We] will continue to monitor stocks and will never move forward with a plan that threatens the health of this species,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e want to make sure that we can serve this species for generations to come. It has to be sustainable but it has to be peaceful.鈥