How the Mi’kmaq bought North America’s largest integrated seafood company

Chief Terry Paul on overcoming adversity to create pathways to shared prosperity, in this excerpt from the Rights & Respect Magazine.

Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase 2022 keynote speaker, Chief Terry Paul of Membertou First Nation.

When Chief Terry Paul, long time elected leader of the Cape Breton based Membertou First Nation, heard that the owners of Halifax based Clearwater Seafoods were looking to sell their company, he knew there was an opportunity for his people.

Starting with just a fish truck in the 1970s, Clearwater Seafoods had grown to become North America’s largest integrated seafood company. Paul met the owners in the 1980s, and he had long admired the company for many years from afar.

“Fishing is a way of life in our communities,” says Paul in his keynote speech at the 2022 Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase. “How we do it has changed over time, and we have adapted to new and innovative ways of fishing, but at the end of the day, the food that hits our tables is much the same.”

Membertou has long had a successful commercial inshore fishery employing upwards of 50 people seasonally to catch mostly snow crab and lobster. The nation’s inshore fleet of eight vessels works to generate revenue for the community, and to participate in what they call the FSC—Food, Social and Ceremonial Fishery—which provides food for elders and for community gatherings and celebrations.

“Our right . . . to fish is not debatable. Our right to a treaty fishery is not up for discussion.” He related the story of the 1999 Supreme Court of Canada decision that overturned the 1996 conviction of Mi’kmaq member Donald John Marshall Jr. on federal fisheries charges. Paul added: “When Donald Marshall Jr. won his case, he reaffirmed for all Mi’kmaq our right to fish for a treaty fishery. His legacy continues to live on through the spirit of Mi’kmaq fishers, and Indigenous fishers across the country.”

Paul, a residential school survivor whose childhood was shadowed by poverty and systemic violence, says that as he grew into adulthood, he began to understand how the business world operated. He vowed to do everything he could to ensure that those who came after him in his community didn’t have to face the same challenges that he did.

“As elected chief in my community for the last 38 years, I’ve had the true honour of serving my community. To me, that responsibility has not come lightly.”

In 2020, when hearing Clearwater Foods was for sale, Paul immediately knew that purchasing the company would secure the future for his community. He also knew that Membertou alone couldn’t take on something of that magnitude. He spoke with the 13 Mi’kmaq communities in Nova Scotia and a Mi’kmaq community in Newfoundland about going in on the deal. Six of the communities agreed.

“We need to realize that communities aren’t all the same. They have different goals and they’re at different levels of sophistication. We offered this deal to all the 13 communities, but they decide themselves whether or not they want to be part of that. And it certainly was open to them. I just feel very glad that we had six other communities willing to come in with us. And that helps spread the risk for sure, but of course it also extends the benefits to those communities. . . . This investment really is for the future.”

Paul says that the coalition of Mi’kmaq communities recognized they also needed a strong, knowledgeable partner. They partnered with Premium Brands.

“We hit the partner jackpot when we met Premium Brands. George (CEO George Paleologou) and his team at Premium Brands have been true partners with us from Day One. They teach us a lot, I learn something new every time we meet with them. . . . The distance that we have between us geographically is made up by closeness we foster in shared interests, shared values.”

Since the Clearwater deal closed in early 2021, it has been deemed the largest single investment that an Indigenous group in Canada has ever made in the fishery. Clearwater is responsible for 80 million pounds of fish every year globally.

“For us, this deal was obviously an incredibly important business deal, but it means more than that. It’s the first time that our people will have ownership in the offshore fishery. It’s the kind of history-making our communities need more of, and I know we will see more of these kinds of deals.”

“Many times, I’ve been asked what reconciliation in business looks like...This deal is an example of what ownership with purpose can be.”

Today, the Membertou Nation employs over 600 people from across the region who come from many different backgrounds. “If they share our vision to build a better community, then we work with them. How they identify themselves doesn’t matter, their commitment to the dream does.”

Paul says he’d like to see a lot more First Nations get together to work on deals, and he believes the best way to overcome challenges is to create space for everyone to work together. “Like any great movement in history, it requires allyship to truly affect change.”

He notes that Indigenous business is one of the fastest-growing sectors in Canada. “Indigenous business is good for business. . . . The value when working with Indigenous people is plentiful. Gone are the days where we were used to check off the box or brought into the deal at the 11th hour. We are players. We need to recognize that we are players. And we want to play to win.”

Addressing the crowd, Chief Paul says: “When you leave here today, ask yourself how you can partner with an Indigenous community to add beneficial value on both sides. And if you’re an Indigenous person or organization here today, don’t let anyone tell you no. Look at roadblocks as opportunities and keep going. Success doesn’t happen overnight. I worked 30 years to get a chance to be involved with a company like Clearwater. My advice is work with everyone and respect everyone. Keep at it and keep fishing.”

This article was originally published in Rights & Respect, Issue 2. To purchase a physical copy of the magazine, click here. To purchase tickets to the Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase, coming June 1-2, 2023, click here.