New Brunswick's Indigenous Affairs minister Keith Chiasson said Friday that a series of RCMP raids will not interfere with provincial negotiations with First Nations over cannabis sales. The April 26 raids targeted what the RCMP described as a transnational organized crime network operating in Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and included a police search of an unlicensed warehouse in New Brunswick.
Chiasson, who had toured the warehouse in March ahead of the raid, said the provincial government has been negotiating with First Nations about cannabis sales for six months and expects those talks to continue. "This is not going to hamper any discussions between the provincial government and First Nations," Chiasson told reporters in Fredericton. "We're going to continue down the same path and really try to find a framework that's beneficial for all and that brings safe regulated products to people."
Chiasson and Luke Randall, the minister responsible for Cannabis NB—the provincial Crown corporation that manages retail cannabis sales in New Brunswick—visited the warehouse as part of a tour aimed at strengthening relationships with Madawaska First Nation.
The RCMP said the warehouse was raided along with other locations as part of a wider investigation involving organized crime, drug trafficking and money laundering, according to a police spokesperson. Mounties have not responded to follow-up questions, citing the ongoing investigation, and have not provided details about owners of the targeted locations.
The raids align with recent directives from Nova Scotia government officials, who issued guidance last December for police to crack down on illegal cannabis shops, suggesting they were linked to organized crime. Nova Scotia Justice Minister Scott Armstrong said Friday that police have his government's full backing with the operation. "If you give them a crack, they kick the door wide open," Armstrong said.
First Nations leaders have criticized the government crackdown, accusing officials of interfering with law enforcement to target Indigenous communities.
