Blockades appear to be non-sensical

By Letter to the Editor on February 29, 2020.

There is much stress, angst and economic impact (loss of $150 million/day) over the blockades across the country in support of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs. However, the more I learn the more nonsensical it appears.

a) Hereditary chiefs. The number and legitimacy of the hereditary chiefs is unclear. There are assumed to be 13 positions in this region of BC. However, four are vacant, one is questioned. Of the remaining eight, it was presented at the Feb. 18 Indigenous conference in Ottawa that no one has actually determined with them what they oppose or want modified.

b) United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007): This is cited as the reason behind the protests, namely their right to protect indigenous lives and culture. However, Articles 18, 19 and 32 in that declaration stress the legitimacy of representatives chosen by themselves. These are the elected band councils and not hereditary chiefs.

c) Protesters protect Indigenous democracy. 80% of the Wet’suwet’en people want the pipeline, al reserves along the pipeline have been consulted and support the project. Roughly 70% of Indigenous people (those most affected by and will benefit from the pipelines) support the projects while 30% (those not affected and with no direct benefit) oppose.

d) The protests affect non-Indigenous. Those living on reserves need propane to heat their homes, access to transportation for groceries, medical appointments, dialysis, treatments. 56% of First Nations people live off reserves and need to get to work.

e) The protesters are protecting the future of the indigenous people. No, most believe their future is not continued poverty, starvation and isolation. Instead, their future is employment, training, learning technologies, and prosperity. In B.C. much of their employment had been the lumber industry, but with forest fires and the pine beetle, much of this is gone. They need the pipelines for their economy.

f) The protesters and environmentalists are saving the planet. Oddly enough, environmentalists also recognize natural gas as cleaner than heating oil, gasoline and coal. Their stance against LNG (liquefied natural gas) harming the land, and its pipelines which may possibly break, is puzzling given that natural gas is a gas that vaporizes and disperses without leaving a residue.

g) There is a conflict been Indigenous people and “colonists.” As the chiefs at the Ottawa meeting noted, there is a deep commitment and respect to Canada. The country would not have survived the War of 1812 without them. At the conference, one chief noted that 100 of his people died in the First World WarI, 200 died in the Second World War, sacrificing to protect the shared rights and freedoms with Canadians.

John Cherwonogrodzky

Medicine Hat

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