Sipekne’katik First Nation bans N.S. premier, ministers in cannabis spat

A Nova Scotia First Nation says it has banned the province’s premier and two of his senior ministers from band lands.

The Sipekne’katik First Nation says Premier Tim Houston, Attorney General Scott Armstrong, and Leah Martin, the minister responsible for leading negotiations on Aboriginal and treaty rights, aren’t welcome, branding them “undesirables” in a statement Tuesday.

It’s the latest salvo since the community and other First Nations in the province criticized the provincial government last week for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis.

The directive from Armstrong has sparked criticism that the government may be interfering with law enforcement to target First Nations communities.

The Mi’kmaq community near Shubenacadie says Tuesday that a signed band council resolution declares that the Nova Scotia government has no jurisdiction on reserve lands.

“Look, it’s still Canada,” Premier Tim Houston told reporters on Wednesday afternoon. “To have somebody banned from a community with an ‘or else’ statement is kind of bizarre for me. But I’m not focused on that, I’m focused on keeping Nova Scotians safe.”

Houston also said to reporters that he didn’t know why he had been banned.

“The sale of illegal cannabis has all kinds of negative consequences for Nova Scotians and we just want the law upheld and we want to work with those who want to work with us on that,” Houston added.

Chief Michelle Glasgow stated that Houston’s government has violated constitutionally-protected Mi’kmaw rights, and that any trespassing on their land is subject to a $50,000 fine.

Glasgow adds in a statement the banning is as much for the protection of the community as it is for the politicians.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2025.