Stacey Tabor faced retaliation from Millbrook, commission finds

A Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq woman has won a second human rights dispute with the Millbrook First Nation.

Earlier this year, the Canadian Human Rights Commission ruled Stacey Tabor had been discriminated against by Millbrook in her bid to become captain of a band-owned fishing boat.

In a second decision just released, the Commission has found Millbrook also retaliated against Tabor on two occasions because of her original complaint.

The first example of discrimination, according to the board, happened when Tabor landed a job as a fisheries researcher in June 2008. The job involved interviewing Mi'kmaq communities about their successes in the fishery.

But when it came time to do research in Millbrook, Tabor said the band refused to cooperate with her. She said she offered to resign from the project and her resignation was eventually accepted by the two men running the project.

In her decision, Human Rights Tribunal member Sophie Marchildon wrote: "I find it more probable than not that Millbrook refused to participate in the research project if Ms. Tabor remained involved."

"Ultimately," Marchildon wrote, "this was a factor in Ms. Tabor losing her role as a Research Assistant on the project."

Marchildon also found Millbrook retaliated against Tabor by refusing to fund her efforts to land a job as an officer for Fisheries and Oceans. Tabor requested funds from the band to travel to Halifax to take the exam.

She was denied.

A Millbrook band officer defended the action, saying Tabor had a history of starting training, but not finishing it. The Commission found that allegation was not supported by the evidence.

However, the Human Rights Tribunal also dismissed a number of other allegations Tabor had made against Millbrook, saying they were likely a result of the hostile relationship between them.

After her initial victory in the dispute over being allowed to captain a fishing boat, Tabor and Millbrook were supposed to discuss a settlement. The commission says those discussions have been unsuccessful.

Tabor and Millbrook must now make written submissions to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal on remedies for both rulings.