Nations support Rainbow Tobacco

As Rainbow Distribution prepares to continue a legal fight against Quebec following a series of tobacco seizures and searches, other nations have taken to social media to voice their support.

An open letter by Mikmaq Tobacco Co. detailed their support for Rainbow Distribution, noting that the situation is “not simply about one company.”

“It represents a much larger issue: the protection of Indigenous sovereignty, economic independence, and the right of our nations to conduct business on our own lands according to our own laws and traditions,” the letter reads.

“Standing up in court is sometimes the only path left to ensure that our voices are heard and our rights are defended … this moment should remind us that unity among our nations matters.”

Rainbow Distribution owner Robbie Dickson filed a more than $8 million lawsuit against Revenu Quebec and Quebec’s Attorney General last October, alleging damages after shipments of tobacco and the vehicles carrying them were seized by authorities.

Rainbow Distribution, also known as Rainbow Tobacco Co., published their own open letter this week, asking for support in their legal fight and thanking Kahnawa’kehró:non Derek White and Hunter Montour for their efforts in fighting their own tobacco case in court.

White and Montour were granted a permanent stay of criminal procedures in late 2023, after a seven-year legal battle based on their arrests in the largest tobacco-smuggling bust in North America. In that case, a Quebec Superior Court judge recognized the role of traditional law, including the Covenant Chain, in the tobacco trade across Turtle Island.

Dickson told The Eastern Door that he hopes to see his company be dealt a similar card in the courtroom, and that it’s imperative he fights this legal battle in order to protect not just his own company, but other First Nations engaging in the tobacco trade.

“Derek and Hunter stuck it out, they fought it and the victory they got was incredible,” he said. “I believed in their case, but I was really surprised just because we don’t ever expect provincial courts to go our way. There’s some judges out there that are starting to recognize that we do have rights as sovereign nations.”

He said he’s grateful for the support from other Onkwehón:we.

“It really makes me feel good to see the community and other nations getting on board with us because if we can win this thing, it’ll be monumental,” he said. “We could really assert independence finally and prove we can support ourselves, drive our own economy, and support our people.”

Rainbow Distribution’s case will move through the Quebec courts in the coming months.

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