b'COVER STORYThere still is much work to be done, and the potential for hostilities remains a very real possi-bility. Recently, harsh scrutiny towards Canadas treatment of its Indigenous people came from the highest global authority, and it did not mince words. In April, the chair of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination requested that Canada inves-tigate, alleged acts of racist hate speech, violence and incitement to violence, as well as the destruction of property by private actors against Mikmaw Indigenous peoples tied to the events of last fall. The letter also acknowl-edged the RCMP and the DFO failure to takeThe groundbreaking Clearwater deal proves to Canadians, and the world, that Indigenous partnerships make good business senseappropriate measures to prevent the violence. Finally, the UN called on Canada to respect, protect, and guarantee the rights of Mikmaw peoples in relation to their fishing activities. The United Nations can see that there have been egregious violations in Indigenous relations,whichreinforcesthatthe Canadian government must take action to prevent a continuation of violence and to encourage Indigenous economic prosperity. It should not be up to private industry to solve national systemic issues, despite the impressive progress made in this area by Risley and Chief Paul.The Clearwater story is not just a story about ownership and a sustainable future, but of two men, each on their own journey over 30 years. Chief Paul forged a bright future of Indigenous economic prosperity for Membertou and the Mikmaq in Nova Scotia. Risley had a vision of a better way to approach Indigenous relations and reconciliation that was years ahead of the national conversation. For many Indigenous people across Canada, economic prosperity might seem out of reach. Meaningful change is hard even when the conditions are perfect. When there is so much stacked against them, the challenge is all the more daunting. Atlantic Canada did not appear ready to accept equal partnership between the Mikmaq and the non-Indig-enous commercial fishermen. Yet Chief Paul and John Risley saw it was exactly the time to do so. It took two men and a landmark business deal to make a country take pause and reconsider what Indigenous partnership and reconciliation can look like.24A CCAB PUBLICATION2021'