I read a book that claimed the NWMP's first remit was "stop the Yanks selling whiskey to the FNs."
Hard to argue with that. I wish they'd been more successful (obviously it was impossible to do more'n make a rather small dent in the trade).
B.C. First Nation signs multimillion-dollar deal with gas pipeline company
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Hard to argue with that. I wish they'd been more successful (obviously it was impossible to do more'n make a rather small dent in the trade).
When dealing with 'outsiders' it is normally the Chief with the backing of the band council who represent the community. For the most part, it seems to work well for many of the bands in Canada. Then there is the AFN who are supposed to represent all bands in Canada when dealing with the Feds - but they have their own agenda which appears to be keeping the money rolling in while doing very little to change anything for their members. As I mentioned, the Wet'suwet'en do have an elected Chief and band council but the news media is much more interested in covering the protests as it makes for great headlines and lots of click bait - they care not that the message being put out to the public is full of falsehoods which distort the true story. This type of coverage also ensures that the illegal blockades and protests will continue to garner support from the numbnuts, intellectually challenged and bored kiddies who want some selfies.
I find it deeply disturbing that the great tradition of civil disobedience, both non-violent and violent, established and nurtured by some of the lions of civilization around the world, seems to be increasingly descending into performative assholes shrieking (and arsonizing) over fake issues.
You'll pardon my English.
That is a rather distorted view of what is actually happening, OP. Until the release and publication of the letter by the Wet'suwet'en yesterday it is the other side that have been in the news almost daily with no due diligence whatsoever on the part of media to check the outrageous claims made by the protestors.
As for 'getting along with each other' they are no different than any other group of people who don't always see eye to eye on certain matters. I really suggest you do some research of your own on the dispute as there is much more to it than your simplified take on it.
No pardon needed and I could not agree more with your statements, Tec. And once again I lay much of the blame for the current situation regarding blockades and protests on the media who do nothing but fan the flames of dissension and discord by failing to adequately and fairly cover both sides of a dispute. In doing so they pander to the 'performative assholes', protest groupies and shrieking activists with an axe to grind but no leg to stand on.
Chris Sankey: Those who support protests and blockades are doing a disservice to Indigenous people
We are pushing for equity ownership in the projects that extract resources from, or run through, our territories. Yet the protesters threaten to take all of that awayChris Sankey: Those who support protests and blockades are doing a disservice to Indigenous people
No one can deny the growing support for Indigenous-led resource projects. New, positive announcements are being made across the country virtually every week, with more communities entering joint ventures or signing agreements with stakeholders in a variety of industries, from mining and oil and gas, to fishing and forestry.
Never have Canadians been so supportive of Indigenous-led initiatives. This is encouraging. Every day I look at my children and I’m reminded about my underlying motivation. When I see our people going through challenging times, I think about the opportunities we have that our parents couldn’t even dream about.
Unfortunately, there is virtually no media coverage of the positive things Indigenous communities and industry are doing together to move reconciliation forward. Instead, we are confronted with negative news about our communities, day in and day out. It’s exhausting.
The media loves to showcase protests and give platforms to activists who claim to be supporting the Wet’suwet’en people by shutting down government buildings and blocking railroads and highways. This is not reconciliation. In fact, it is doing significant harm to Indigenous peoples.
We are constantly being portrayed as disruptive and angry. People are being led to believe we are all against resource development, which is simply not true. Our hardship, our historical trauma and our rights are being used by non-governmental organizations to raise funds for their own purposes.
I know that lots of the people donating to these causes do so out of kindness. They want to help, but they’ve been deliberately misinformed. None of that money goes to our people. I’m not talking about a few thousand dollars. It’s on the public record that tens of millions of dollars have been funnelled to third-party organizations and outside protesters to block resource development opportunities for our communities.
A lot of student groups are involved in these protests and campaigns. I can appreciate the sympathy these students have for our people due to the inter-generational trauma we face from residential schools. I lived through it and survived it. Almost all of my family went to residential schools.
In some respects, these “allies” have been very helpful. They have brought to light many of the things that happened to us and raised awareness about them. But now they are overstepping.
Most of our communities are in favour of responsible resource development, as shown in elections, referendums, community meetings and polls. Indigenous people also care immensely about protecting our environment. We have been taking conservation seriously for the last 10,000 years. But we also need a vibrant economy that can support us.
We were not invited to the table in the past. We fought for over 160 years to take back that seat and now we are pushing for equity ownership in the projects that extract resources from, or run through, our territories. Yet the protesters threaten to take all of that away. They are hindering our ability to move our communities out of poverty.
It’s time we start moving toward reconciliation. We can no longer tolerate outside groups weaponizing our culture and history and using it against our people. The protests over the Coastal GasLink pipeline are tearing apart our families, friends and communities. The division is immense.
Haven’t we been through enough? We’re already dealing with grief over those we’ve lost in the past 21 months from high rates of COVID, suicide and chronic illness. These protests are not allowing those who have lost loved ones to grieve in peace. And the division that is caused by these protests and campaigns just compounds that pain.
I don’t blame any Indigenous people who have participated in these protests, whether because they were paid, because they were angry or because they believed they were doing the right thing. But the fact is, these blockades and protests are dividing our people.
We need to start coming together. We need to start working together. Otherwise, all we are doing is transferring pain to the next generation.
I hope the Wet’suwet’en people can resolve their differences internally and find peace. They deserve it. As Chief Joe Alphonse of the Tl’etinqox Nation said, “Supporting the protest anywhere and what you are really supporting is for the Wet’suwet’en to remain divided. My hope is for a respectful, united position from the Wet’suwet’en as a whole.”
The least any of us can do is give them the space to do that.
Chris Sankey is a former elected councillor for Lax Kw’ Alaams Band, a business leader and a senior fellow at the Macdonald Laurier Institute.
Chris Sankey: Those who support protests and blockades are doing a disservice to Indigenous people
We are pushing for equity ownership in the projects that extract resources from, or run through, our territories. Yet the protesters threaten to take all of…
My point was the ongoing bun fights between the elected chiefs and hereditary chiefs of the same band and the bandwagon that people across the country jump on.
As the person whose article you quoted said "We need to start coming together. We need to start working together."
As unfortunate as it is, it always seems to come down to who gets the most money.
Native politics and non-native politics both work on the same principle of who gets the most money. Nature of the beast. We just watched the last two federal elections in Canada won by giving away the most money…. Bribing the electorate with their own money. Crazy but true!!
‘Wrong side of history’: Is Jagmeet Singh’s stance on pipelines splitting the NDP? — Toronto Star
New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh listens to a question during a news conference on Dec. 7, 2021 in Ottawa.
Well, you can hardly expect them to use their OWN money. . .Native politics and non-native politics both work on the same principle of who gets the most money. Nature of the beast. We just watched the last two federal elections in Canada won by giving away the most money…. Bribing the electorate with their own money. Crazy but true!!
‘Wrong side of history’: Is Jagmeet Singh’s stance on pipelines splitting the NDP?
‘Wrong side of history’: Is Jagmeet Singh’s stance on pipelines splitting the NDP? — Toronto Star
New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh listens to a question during a news conference on Dec. 7, 2021 in Ottawa.apple.news
Of course not breakfast at the Hyatt , lunch at the Empire club and drinks in the afternoon with stakeholders before dinner at the ==== all on your dime . Thanks
Just curious, but what makes you think that your unsolicited advertising is wanted or needed or has anything to do with the thread topic presented here?
if you have something to add to the topic then please join in but if you’re just here for a drive-by spam…. then please just go elsewhere.
Opinion: Using Indigenous peoples as political pawns in resource development is simply wrong — The Globe and Mail
The Canadian public needs to understand the unintended consequences that constant protesting against resource development in Indigenous territories has on all of us
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It has to be a government problem( or the government is the problem) because the law says natives are wards of the state. In Canada Indian affairs is an industry.
Here is a short story on how it goes.
Another contractor I did a lot of work with got a project doing some development work on a Rez up coast. Instead of being a contract price the band dry rented the equipment and paid for the operators and repairs separately. I sent them one of my off highway dump trucks for about 8 months. Normally when a machine is dry rented it is paid in advance. Not so with DIA. At the end of the month I had to submit a bill to the band, but sent to Ottawa. The bureaucraps in Ottawa then sent it to the band for authorization, then sent back to Ottawa to issue a cheque. The result is always being a month behind on payments.
The other problem with clean water is getting someone to maintain the treatment plant. ( see Walkerton) I have had some experience in the aftermath of lack of basic maintenance on rez water and power systems.
It don't have to be that way. It ain't a law of physics.
Maybe "creative solutions," which are both wrong and stupid 90% of the time, are better than government policies.
We have been trying to be rid of it since before Trudeau’s charter . To many bureaucrats and lawyers and chiefs make a fine living under the status quo and they have no incentive to change .
The biggest impediment to ridding Canada of the Indian Act is the AFN. If you are going to write to anybody start with them, Dixie.
I actually think most Canadians would be very happy to see Canada rid of the Indian Act if they knew how beneficial it would be for all concerned, Tec. But then, I am a glass half full type of person.
