First Nations buys Canada’s largest seafood company in a “historic” deal

In a “historic” deal, a group of investors that includes a coalition of Mi’kmaq First Nations is buying Clearwater, North America’s largest producer of shellfish and one of the world’s largest seafood companies. As part of its stake, the Mi’kmaq will hold the Halifax, Nova Scotia-based company’s licenses for harvesting lobster, scallop, crab, and clams, as part of a long-term plan to create jobs and wealth for Indigenous people. Eater reports that it’s a “step in the right direction” for trying to reclaim their livelihoods after Europeans invaded the region hundreds of years ago. Even Ian Smith, the company’s CEO, told CBC News that the deal was a “model for reconciliation.” Membertou Chief Terry Paul, who led the deal on the Mi’kmaq side, put it a little differently: “We won.”