The Nunatsiavut Government is upset with today’s decision by federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister Joanne Thompson on the 2026 northern cod allocation, arguing it offers no meaningful benefit to Labrador Inuit despite a 55 per cent increase in total allowable catch. While the Minister’s office cites strong scientific evidence showing the stock has returned to the healthy zone, it ignores the fact that most of the biomass remains in waters adjacent to Labrador, particularly in NAFO Divisions 2H and 2J, says Nunatsiavut’s Lands and National Resources Minister Tom Evans.

“From a proportional standpoint, this decision is simply unacceptable,” says Minister Evans. “Once again, Labrador Inuit are left without fair access to a resource that is largely adjacent to our territory. This is another continued failure of the Government of Canada to uphold Indigenous and treaty rights.”

Adjacency has long been recognized as a fundamental principle in fisheries management and is clearly defined within the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement (LILCA). Yet, in this decision, adjacency appears to have been inconsistently applied, notes Minister Evans.

“Adjacency seems to matter in Southern Canada, but in Labrador it is completely disregarded. This double standard only deepens long-standing inequities,” he says. “The Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement is a Constitutionally-protected modern treaty. Ignoring it in decisions like this sends a clear message that our rights are not being respected.”

DFO’s decision to match the Nunatsiavut Government’s allocation of the northern cod fishery with a special allocation to the NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC) – an unrecognized, self-proclaimed Indigenous group whose members do not have section 35 rights.

“In light of decisions like this, any suggestion of reconciliation by DFO is not worth the paper it is written on,” says Minister Evans. “What we continue to see is a colonialist approach that prioritizes historical allocation over fairness, science, and treaty obligations.”

The Nunatsiavut Government is calling on Minister Thompson to immediately reverse the decision and implement an allocation framework that:

• Reflects adjacency in a consistent and principled manner;
• Provides meaningful access to Labrador Inuit;
• Upholds obligations under LILCA; and
• Ensures allocations are not provided to unrecognized, self-proclaimed Indigenous groups.