The debate over pipelines is not just good, it’s great, and we need to talk about our future, not just the future in my backyard. So before anyone suggests that I have turned to supporting industry let me make one thing clear, I remain opposed to “dilbit” pipelines, and I remain committed to protecting our environment first.
That said I refuse to be hijacked by people who make a living at killing every job out there. Yes jobs are work for industry, yes industry is a bottom line feeder, but we the people need balance. We need government to regulate industry on our behalf, and if they don’t we will use every means at our disposal to get them to comply.
The problem today is the environmentalism has grown into a trade of its own, a career of creating misinformation and disinformation, they use our love for our country against us, they use what we say against us in order to create chaos and cheap thrills on power trips.
We could use a good public dose of Myth Busters right here at home in regards to the Wet’suwet’en blockades. As we showed in a previous article the woman who made headlines nationally and internationally is not even Wet’suwet’en or a local resident.
In the Vancouver Sun we read “Wickham was in Prince George where she said 13 people arrested for violating the court order, including her sister Molly Wickham, were scheduled to appear in court. She said an elder arrested on Monday had already been released.”
The elder in question is not even an aboriginal but has been part of the protestors since 2012 or further back.
Watch the footage, the RCMP had all of the male members breaking the law (violating a court order) arrested without any violence in less than 2 minutes, the women were all led politely and peacefully to police transportation.
When you resist arrest it’s the normal procedure to put you face down on the ground, it’s not violence
I beg to disagree with any police officer who said “Yes this is your land” the correct version is “Yes, we understand you are claiming this land”
When Chief Namoks (John Ridsdale) says “my territory is next” also incorrect, its crown land up until you prove that it is your territory. Let me again remind everyone of what the Supreme Court said.
“In 1997, the Supreme Court of Canada issued an important decision, Delgamuukw v. British Columbia, that considered Aboriginal title to Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en traditional territories. The Supreme Court of Canada decided that a new trial was required to determine whether Aboriginal title had been established for these lands, and to hear from other Indigenous nations which have a stake in the territory claimed. The new trial has never been held, meaning that Aboriginal title to this land, and which Indigenous nation holds it, has not been determined.”
By every legal definition it remains the land of the Government of Canada, until title has been established by prospective claimants. John Ridsdale knows full well that the boundaries of claims in BC are overlapped by claimants.
“The B.C. Treaty Commission says several land claim negotiations are stalled because of overlapping claims and it’s calling on First Nations to sort it out, with financial help from senior governments. The commission says the thorny problem of overlapping land claims among First Nations is the result of imposed reserve boundaries and traditional sharing of the land.”
Delgamuukw v. British Columbia, [1997] 3 S.C.R. 1010
“Of course, the Gitksan and Wet’suwet’en are not the only people living in the claimed territory. As noted by both McEachern C.J. at trial (at p. 440) and Lambert J.A. on ap peal (at p. 243), there are other aboriginals who live in the claimed territory, notably the Carrier-Sekani and Nishga peoples. Some of these people have unsettled land claims overlapping with the territory at issue here. Moreover, there are also numerous non-aboriginals living there. McEachern C.J. found that, at the time of the trial, the non-aboriginal population in the territory was over 30,000.”
Myths and twisted truths are behind most media stories, like the ones who without even questioning education backgrounds repeat what a self-declared doctor says.
The perpetrated myth “Dr. Karla Tait, belongs to the Gilseyhu clan (Big Frog) clan of Yahstowilcus (the Dark House). Her Dini Zi’ (House Chief) is Unistot’en, Knedebeas, Warner William, maternal grandmother is Weli’, Catherine Michell, maternal grandfather was Tsayu, Wigitemstochol (Dan Michell), mother is Brenda Michell-Joseph, father is Rene Tait and stepfather is Melvin Joseph. Her father clan is Laksilhyu (small frog/cariboo). She is presently employed as the Mental Wellness Advisor for the Northern Region with the First Nations Health Authority, serving the 54 First Nations in Northern BC. Dr. Tait is the Director of Programming for the Unist’ot’en Healing Centre, a collective effort by her Hereditary House Group to revitalize culturally-based, wellness and holistic healing practices that are centered on connection to the land.”
Simply putting the letters Dr. in front of your name does not make you a doctor, nor a collage degree makes you a certified doctor.
The UNIST’OT’EN CAMP – “Heal the People, Heal the Land” is a stolen quote from the Edsa Revolution in the Philippines against Marcos.
The buildings they put up, under Canadian law must conform to safety building codes for very good reason, but we are supposed to turn a blind eye, out of so called reconciliation? What happens if the building collapses and people die, will they once again complain that it was the fault of the Government of Canada for failing to maintain safety regulations and building code rules?
They owe society an explanation.
Is the Unist’ot’en Camp violating regulations protecting streams and rivers by having such a large complex involving so many people so close to the river? Where does the sewer go, into the ground and leaching directly into the Morice River?
They owe society an explanation.
Last summer God forbid we saw a lot of forest fires, all of them on “claimed land” and many of them have structures that tax payers paid to protect. What happens if there is a forest fire near their camp? Who pays to protect the buildings?
We saw a forest fire in Witset last summer, caused by a local, who paid to put that fire out?
The very same people who were elected in Witset, the ones who signed these deals with industry, fully understand that without industry, your mothers will not have hospitals to help them, to give those who have heart conditions treatment, not based on where you were born, or by color of your skin, not even based on what you protest, but treated as a human. What about ambulance service they get in an emergency, all of these cost money, and they can all be improved if we get this pipeline deal done. (Or we could shut down all industry and hospital care due to a lack of funds)
That money has to come from somewhere, we don’t simply print it.
The progressive First Nations understand the ways of the old need to pass on with them, the past is hunting, fishing, and trapping for a living. The primary method of trapping has always been the leg hold trap, does anyone even do that anymore? The hunting done with quads and pickup trucks, is that traditional? Is using gillnets in the rivers traditional fishing?
The old ways do not work anymore, and as romantic as old time were, a premature birth may require neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and there is nothing traditional about that.
There is nothing traditional about Facebook, tweeting about getting together, smoke signals are a thing of the past, as are many of the old ways.
Fact is as much as you want to be the next instant millionaire, your odds of winning it via blockades and resistance will only diminish your odds.
How many times have the people who built this nation had to listen to someone screaming “Get the F%$k Off Our Land! but that’s not racist or insensitive, however speaking the truth is racist and insensitive.
Then you have the verbal abuse on Main Street in the town of Smithers, as well as the highway near Main Street, where First Nations kids, teens and adult are yelling obscenities at our local police officers, who merely shrugged it off to their credit. These are the same officers that save the lives of First Nations members due to drunk driving, speeding, fights, battery of women and on reserve fights.
The elected leadership have constantly reminded their people this is not helping them, yet the Hereditary Chiefs simply act like it is not happening, closing both eyes and ears to the abuse. When will they step up and take the same responsibly as elected leaders do?
For far too long we have allowed society to be hijacked by people using our freedoms against us, by taking actions at the expense of working taxpayers.
The divisions within aboriginal groups without question are divided into two camps, the one camp are educated individuals who used education to advance themselves, then in the other camp you have mostly people who are dropouts with little if any education to back up the arguments they make.
Sadly its important for locals to not blame the progressive thinkers for the actions that can largely be attributed to the positions taken by some Hereditary Chiefs. (Not all Hereditary Chiefs)
While starting fights might well gain some Hereditary Chiefs instant attention and a massive following, will it lead to a better future for First Nations people?
The fights of the past have shown that it leaves aboriginal communities out of all the benefits other communities enjoy.
The Hereditary Chiefs have the option to stay relevant, or become obsolete, if they choose the latter, this could well be the last generation that has Hereditary Chiefs.
Its time all our communities got behind the First Nations communities who are under attack by a few Hereditary Chiefs.
Before I close I want to recommend watching this video, it’s time to put the past in the past and be part of building a future we all benefit by.
"Now you know the rest of the story"
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