Aboriginal Logging Rights on Crown Land

CBC.ca reports that the Supreme Court of Canada has upheld aboriginal rights to log on Crown land in two New Brunswick cases. The Supreme Court of Canada had previously ruled that aboriginal logging on Crown Land for commercial purposes was illegal. This judgment absolves the defendants of wrong-doing for cutting maple trees off of their reserve lands.

From the article:

The high court judges decided that three New Brunswick men who took wood from Crown land were exercising their aboriginal and treaty rights, not stealing.

The judgment says harvesting wood for survival purposes was integral to the culture of the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet peoples.

The court says those rights must be allowed to evolve to modern circumstances, but cannot be sold, traded or bartered for commercial gain.

More
Court gives natives broad timber rights (Globe and Mail)

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