Hon. Mary Coyle: Honourable senators, today I rise to honour and celebrate Dr. Sheldon Currie, one of our Antigonish hometown heroes, son of a coal miner and homemaker from Reserve Mines, Cape Breton, renowned writer of novels, short stories and plays, long-time fiction editor of The Antigonish Review, beloved St. Francis Xavier University professor, active community volunteer, devoted family man and now member of the Order of Canada.

Colleagues, the Order of Canada acknowledges the outstanding achievements and contributions of individuals who enrich the lives of others, and the ever-humble and gifted Sheldon Currie has certainly done his share of enriching. I first met Sheldon when we both worked at St. Francis Xavier University, but I got to know him better when he joined our book club.

When our group was reading one of his novels, I’ll never forget his response when we asked who his literary influences were and he said, “Dick Tracy.”

Honestly, there’s not a hint of pretense with this literary icon. That down-to-earth authenticity is probably what attracted actress Helena Bonham Carter to want to play, “that snot-nosed girl” in the film Margaret’s Museum based on Sheldon Currie’s novel, The Glace Bay Miners’ Museum.

Ever an insightful social commentator, Sheldon Currie said:

The internment of Italians during World War II prompted me to write the novel, Down the Coaltown Road, and the play Anna. The arrest and internment of Italians took place under my nose when I was a kid, without my knowledge. The arrest and internment of innocent people is a recurring event in our society and therefore something we should keep an eye out for and if possible prevent.

This summer, our audience was well entertained by Theatre Baddeck’s brilliant production of Sheldon Currie’s playful yet poignant play, Lauchie, Liza and Rory. I had the good fortune of seeing it in an earlier version, as well as his play Two More Solitudes, at Festival Antigonish in the late 1990s. Lauchie, Liza and Rory was also produced by Mulgrave Road Theatre in 2004, which toured Nova Scotia and played at the Magnetic North Theatre Festival in Edmonton. It was nominated for five Merritt Awards and was awarded the Merritt for the best play by a Nova Scotia playwright that year.

Sheldon Currie has also written other works of literature, as well as articles on our colleague, accomplished novelist Senator David Adams Richards.

Honourable colleagues, please join me in congratulating Sheldon Currie on becoming a member of the Order of Canada and also saluting at the same time his formidable sidekick, Dawn Currie.

Thank you.

Hon. Mary Coyle: Welcome to the Senate, Minister Miller. I’m a senator from Mi’kma’ki and a member of the Aboriginal Peoples Committee. My question for you is related to the full implementation of Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy rights-based fisheries. Our Senate Fisheries and Oceans Committee report on this matter, Peace on the Water, outlined 10 recommendations. The committee recommended that the responsibility for negotiating the full implementation of rights‑based fisheries be immediately transferred from Fisheries and Oceans Canada to Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, with your department becoming the lead negotiating department and DFO assuming an advisory role.

Minister, can you tell us what is the status of the government’s response to this critical recommendation and has there been any action taken?