Indian Time - A Voice from the Eastern Door

By Kaniehtonkie

In the latest round of meetings, statements, rallies, and show of support for Wet’suwet’en the underlying message is a call for calm.

As of press time, the hereditary chiefs of Wet’suwet’en refuse an offer to meet with cabinet ministers from the federal and provincial governments until the RCMP remove their mobile command unit from the Unist’ot’en camp on the road that links the town of Houston to a Coastal GasLink work camp. Within the same nation, the chief and council of Witset First Nation and the largest band elected through the Indian Act, within Wet’suwet’en Nation, support the project. And according to some media, a large majority of First Nations’ members along the pipeline’s route also support it.

Looking back, in 2014 the Office of Wet’suwet’en Natural Resources Department presented a report ‘on behalf of all past and present Wet’suwet’en’ to the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Agency. In a comprehensive report, it talks of significant environmental effects, impacts that include loss and deterioration on their lands and resources, unlawful infringement of their rights, and deterioration of their health and community well-being. It also states, in no uncertain terms, that the BC government and it’s agencies cannot be trusted, and it presents a conflict between the Wet’suet’en laws and values. It reports on the significant environmental impacts on their fisheries, fish habitat, medicinal plants, air quality, wildlife and traditional land use.

In 2014, the BC province acknowledged concerns from the Office of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and other Indigenous groups and then gave the green light to the project.

Five years later Canada has come face to face with its past, determined not to repeat history from thirty years ago at Oka.

An emergency debate was held in the House of Commons on Tuesday, February 18, 2020. There the Green Party, New Democratic Party, and Conservative Party all voiced their concerns. Jagmeet Singh asked for real action and real measure to solve the problems stressing ‘justice for Indigenous communities’. Eliza May of the Green Party voiced her support for Indigenous people, stating Indigenous people ‘have faced stolen land, stolen children and a century of colonialism’.

Conservative Party, Andrew Sheer is calling for a more aggressive action on the part of the RCMP.

Other leaders called for calm, reason and a chance for all parties to be heard.

AFN National Chief Bellegarde said the Crown had an obligation, the hereditary chiefs have an obligation, the elected chiefs have an obligation, we all have an obligation to think clearly, think calmly and to come to a peaceful resolution.

Bellegarde stated, “It doesn’t rest with any one person, we all have an obligation.”

Marc Miller stated, “But clearly, we see there is a path forward, Canadians should know that we are seizing the situation at the very highest level of government to work toward a peaceful resolution.”

He continued, “It is loathe for me to understand the perspective of the leader of the Opposition from the comfort of his residence in Stornoway when there are people on the line whose lives are at risk, and he should appreciate that.”

Miller shared a story from thirty years ago when his troop was called to Oka, he stood with four Indigenous men, by morning, those men were not present. They had refused to take action on their own people and did not report.

“We should know that no individuals should have to choose between their families, their nation and the country that they would readily lay their lives down for. We vowed that this would never happen again, and it should not happen again,” said Marc Miller, Indigenous Service Minister.

The report referenced can be found at: https://projects.eao.gov.bc.ca/api/document/WetsuwetenTitleandRightsReport.pdf