A desperate attempt by some people trying desperately to resurrect the momentum of the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline war that ended in 2016 , a full 8 hours of backscratching speeches by those who think they can bypass the system by bullying the process.
They close a blind eye to the reality that most of the people who supported the anti pipeline war due it its bitumen content, now support CGL due to its natural gas content, its all about what is in the pipe, and even Chief Delgamuukw supported working with natural gas pipelines as opposed to fighting them. It does two things, it provides for a cleaner fossil fuel and it brings much needed dollars to our communities that allow us to build a future for our children.
Funny how these people who want to shut down everything claim to be doing it for our children, when in fact they are doing it for the significant personal gains they make as professional Eco-radicals.
It could be described better as a boring backscratching day in hopes of offsetting the dwindling number of boots on the ground willing to stand in the way of a project that is now very much inevitable.
Do these people actually think the Government of British Columbia can be pressured into handing over the keys to the province and become tenants of the province without a province to govern? Seriously it is time someone stepped forward and negotiated an end to the dispute over land, and clearly the Office of the Wet’suet’en has proven they refuse to do so. They expect both the keys, the cash settlement and 100% control, do we need to wait till they die of old age before we wake up and understand that will never happen?
One of the main takeaways I personally observed from watching all the speech’s, was the repeated usage of outright lines and twisted truths. I do not want to sit through another 8 hours of replay to count the number of times various speakers used as part of their statements the following buzz words.
“Peace and Unity”
“so called Canada”
“protecting the water”
“Last pure source of water”
“Delgamuukw references”
“land defenders”
These was far to much said in this 8 hours of speech’s to cover it all in one not so short letter so I will only speak to those buzzwords that seemed to justify what they were really promoting and that is anything but “Peace and Unity”. So let me start with that one, peace and unity.
Its no secret that not only is the Wet’suwet’en nation and the Gidimt’en Clan highly divided over this issue, it was the primary theme of this all day publicity stunt to pretend they were bringing the two sides together. Sadly nothing could be further from the truth, the only truth that was exposed was unity between Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition, Dogwood Initiative and SkeenaWild, and Salmon Nation, actually EcoTrust funded by the American Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation ), 3 of those radical environmental groups get funding in one way or another from the Tides Foundation as does the Office of the Wet’suet’en.
The Tides Foundation exists to the tune of billions of dollars to get rid of American competition in the oil and gas industry. They accomplish this by pretending they care about the environment in every nation outside of the United States. So far its worked. U.S. Overtakes Qatar To Become The World’s Largest LNG Exporter while Canada lags far behind with a pipeline that keeps getting delays by people that think they are saving the planet when they are only helping our American neighbours become rich while we struggle to pay our bills.
Sorry for drifting off track, clearly the so called “unity” did not include the Wet’suwet’en nation and the Gidimt’en Clan when it was clear that speeches were required to support the blockaders. see the words from the horse mouth. The complete letter was not sent out by the Office of Wet’suwet’en but rather by Kirby Muldoe on behalf of some of the Gitxsan Chiefs and as a director for SkeenaWild.
Another complete fallacy (intentional deceit) is the claim that blockaders are victims of human rights abuse, when in fact they are treated pretty much the same as anyone else defiantly breaking the law. Being a blockaders does not absolve you of your responsibility to obey they law. We have seen time and again where blockaders make the claim that by being First Nations they are not required to follow Canadian Law. Its always propagated by people who want someone else to take the fall for following that bad advice. Any decent lawyer will tell you its NEVER going to happen, and the UN would NEVER support that concept.
See that full letter here. Or screenshots from it below.
No Wet’suwet’en east of the Office of Wet’suwet’en was invited to speak at this all day event, so it was an exclusive event not an inclusive event for the Wet’suwet’en Nation.
Next is the line “so called Canada” as if pretending that Canada is not a sovereign nation somehow legitimizes their right to bypass both courts and land claims negotiations, and the world will hand them the country lock stock and barrel, a slightly delusional take on reality.
Let me take you back on a reality trip to the past, when the Office of Wet’suwet’en chose the path of confrontation over negotiation, the dead opposite of “peace and unity” let me bring you back to the year 2009 and the advise given to the Office of Wet’suwet’en by Don Ryan in 2009.
Take some time to read and reread what was said in this advice, because here lies the root of the blockader issue.
“The issues for us on the treaty table are a competing claim. You have people on the treaty table discussing these issues, and Carrier Sekanie is claiming the same thing in Prince George. The band councils are doing different things. We must sit and talk to them and bring everyone together. There will be tension on these fronts. You have a situation where pipelines and competing claims must be sorted out. The treaty process is not the right path for us. This process takes your title away from you. We need to be aggressive as to what we can do on the land. I can quickly take you through the treaty process. They have a formula and figure how much they will offer you in cash. Our neighbors in the Nass signed a treaty, speak to them and they will tell you the same story. $750,000 per person is what they will offer you. When they give you that money, you will not own the land. They will also offer you land and that will be around Moricetown. They also have a formula, one section of land. They are still trying to get you off the land. I’m interested in discussing the options with you.” Don Ryan 2009
If you pay attention to what the Office of Wet’suwet’en is doing and what it is not doing, it is clear they are following this advice, intentionally choosing confrontation in an effort not to allow other First Nations an opportunity to negotiate for land that is also claimed by other First Nations.
Land Claims Overlap Take a time out and look at this article.
Instead of accepting responsibility for their refusal to negotiate, they dump it squarely on the backs of “so called Canada” and the RCMP. . This is what you call strategic deflection, move the blame from yourself and put it on someone else and keep the real agenda hidden.
In an effort to keep this short I will move on to the next narrative “protecting the water”
Here is a big one, “protecting the water” now that is a theme everyone can relate to (The Chicken Little End of the World) all over the world water is the key to life so what better buzz word is there to flaunt and push out that you are the last people on earth saving the last clean drinking water on this planet so all hands on deck.
Now a reality check.
Many of the speeches claimed that it would be the end of the world as we knew it, no more berries (pure imagination) no more fish (heck the pipe is not even in the ground and already there is a fish problem so it had nothing to do with pipelines. in fact if pipelines was the cause of fish decline why were the best years of recorded history in salmon runs occurring in rivers that had an oil pipeline for almost 100 years? Then to say there will be no more moose no more wildlife, such absolute garbage, its hard to fathom sane people even making those claims. Talk about science and recorded facts, no one in their right mind other than if they intend to intentionally lie would ever make those claims.
This is a gas, a vapour, not a liquid, not a solid but gas, somewhat like what happens when you blow a fart without follow through (for those of you who are confused about what is in the pipeline) it does not mix with water, it does not make land or water dirty if a line is broken. If under water it will bubble to the surface and dissipate into the air, and yes it is flammable but is one of the cleanest fossil fuels in existence. Intelligent First Nations know this, its why they support this project, they understand the science involved here.
The project that these radicals chose as their hill to die on appears to be the micro-tunnel site on the Morice River, despite the fact that it is the most expensive method of river crossing there is, not to forget also the safest method in existence today, if you follow the science and not the rhetoric then the tunnel under the river may well be the safest portion of the entire pipeline. If it does leak it will come out on one of the two ends. Next buzz word.
“Last pure source of water” seriously, so tell me that the headwaters of the Nass and Skeena, or even the Fraser River do not have untouched pristine wilderness in their headwaters. My guess is these folks have never heard of the Nahanni River either, that brags one of the most spectacular wild rivers in North America, this park contains deep canyons and huge waterfalls, as well as a unique limestone cave system. There is no reason whatever to believe that in any way shape or form the river is actually be threatened. If working on the land was such a big threat, then why is there so much silence on the issue that Alphonse Gagnon (Chief Kloum Khun) Adam Gagnon (wing chief) Warner William (Chief Knedebeas) and Fred Tom (Chief Gisday’wa) all made their living and fortunes logging the Morice River watershed.
You hear the blockaders and chiefs talk about the dirty water flowing into the Morice River, now look at the massive areas logged, mostly by the chiefs listed above and compare that to the land disturbed by the pipeline. Oh they have pictures, and videos all manipulated to make CGL look like a massive footprint, but have the ever shown you the footprint they left behind while they made the fortunes that allowed them to buy the title of Hereditary Chief?
Water so clean you can drink it without a filter, did you hear that one too?
The sacred water of the Morice River, you can drink it safely unlike anywhere else. Another very worthwhile read a lesson in Giardiasis, more commonly known as beaver fever, is a parasitic disease caused by Giardia lamblia. Its real even in the Morice River.
Next buzz words
“Delgamuukw references” or the misuse thereof. There are two separate issues at play in the usage of the name Delgamuukw, one is of the chief himself, and the other is the court case he was part of. In the case of the man himself, it was ironic that his nephew Kirby Muldoe was the MC of this meeting and never once told the truth about Chief Delgamuukw by admitting that he supported and took money from the Rupert Gas Transmission Project (PRGT) when he endorsed the project.
“Chief Delgamuukw gave consent on behalf of the Gitxsan Nation for TransCanada’s proposed Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project (PRGT). The 900-kilometre pipeline would carry LNG from northeastern British Columbia to the Pacific NorthWest LNG export terminal proposed for Lelu Island on British Columbia’s north coast, crossing the territories of 10 Gitxsan wilp groups along the way.
The signature appeared on a document called “Trustee Resolution of the Amdimxxw Trust,” dated Sept. 6, 2016. This document lists the chief names next to dollar amounts, dividing a total of more than $5.3 million between them.”
Next we have the Delgamuukw/Gisday’way landmark court decision and the pretense that it established ownership of the roughly 22,000 square kilometers (8,500 square miles)
“Delgamuukw continues to represent a momentous affirmation of the existence and constitutionally protected status of Aboriginal title in Canada. It seems important, however, to underscore the fact that the Court did not rule on the merits of the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en Aboriginal title claim. The effects of its decision are therefore more directive than conclusive. Delgamuukw provided government, Aboriginal claimants, and the lower courts with comprehensive new guidelines for the future settlement or litigation of the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en and other comprehensive land claims.”
The court did say “In Delgamuukw, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized the Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan Peoples had never surrendered their land or had their title extinguished. The decision recognized Aboriginal title“ it did NOT say “The Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs, are responsible for off-reserve decision-making on the nation’s 22,000 square kilometres of territory” nor did it say “The Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs are the sole authority of the Wet’suwet’en territory.“ It did say “Aboriginal title is sui generis, and so distinguished from other proprietary interests, and characterized by several dimensions. It is inalienable and cannot be transferred, sold or surrendered to anyone other than the Crown. Another dimension of aboriginal title is its sources: its recognition by the Royal Proclamation, 1763 and the relationship between the common law which recognizes occupation as proof of possession and systems of aboriginal law pre‑existing assertion of British sovereignty. Finally, aboriginal title is held communally.“
It also did say
“Lamer said this “substantive defect” in the Chiefs’ arguments required a new trial, which the court welcomed but the Wet’suwet’en have yet to bring forward.”
As one Gitxsan lawyer pointed out, that ruling pretty much says its the people choice, not the Hereditary Chiefs who call the shots on land that has been negotiated in settlements. The final choice belongs to the citizens of the Wet’suet’en Nation.
The Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs hold rights and title on ancestral lands that has been recognized by Canadian courts, it did not establish a title claim, but sent a directive to both government and the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en and suggested negotiation over litigation, however as I posted earlier it was the choice of the Office of the Wet’suet’en to go the road of confrontation that always ends in so called violence. If police uphold the law, these protesters inclusive of the Office of the Wet’suet’en call it violence. Simple police enforcement now is violence, period.
Last but not least is the buzz word “land defenders”
Seriously how can they be defending the land when they need outside help to accomplish their blockading tactics? There are over 2000 members of the Wet’suwet’en yet they need non aboriginals and Gitxsan members to man the front lines because local Wet’suwet’en won’t do it. Look at who was arrested over the last 3 years, very few are even aboriginal, no wonder these environmental groups are all here at this meeting while the Wet’suwet’en members attended to the funeral on this same day as well two more deaths in Witset this same week.
Much respect to those chiefs who chose the funeral over this petting zoo for public attention. It was the right thing to do, it was and remains the traditional law of the Wet’suwet’en Nation to set business aside. This meeting shows who is on what side of tradition.
The very term land defenders is a cover up to replace civilized negotiations with bully tactics (blockades are bully tactics) intended to intimidate others into conceding to their demands.
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