Canada, unlike the US, has limited resolution of native land claims and some indigenous leaders want to return to a period before European influence. The Trudeau government has attempted to deal with these aspirations under a reconciliation process that has transferred money and jobs to indigenous individuals through Canadian federal government hiring into ministries like Health (FNIHB). One consequence is that decisions on hiring, etc. are now based-on ethnicity and mirror the race-based hiring that occurred in the US. One example is the difference in language ability requirements for new indigenous employees versus anyone else. Recent transportation blockades are a continuance of growing indigenous influence and the Trudeau government's consideration of removing the federal police force (RCMP) from land areas claimed by a few indigenous individuals (that claim to be hereditary chiefs of their territory) is a serious pandering to these individuals that undermines Canadian law.
5
@Barry
I'm perplexed by a couple of your remarks, starting with limited resolution of native land claims and your astounding assertion that "some indigenous leaders want to return to a period before European influence".
If there are unresolved land claims it's because some First Nations never ceded land rights under treaty at all.
I'm not sure what you mean that removing the RCMP constitutes pandering.... it's hardly uncommon that reserves have their own police and that provincial and federal police remain off tribal lands. There is nothing unusual about that arrangement. The removal of the RCMP is a direct response to anger in the communities over arrests during legitimate protest and constitutes a proportionate response to misjudgement on the part of the RCMP. And correct me if I'm mistaken but do not some band councils in the US also have their own police?
What is clear is that Canada and the US handled indigenous populations quite differently and although there were brutal episodes and tragedies that run right into the 21st century (Attawapiskat) there never was a period in Canada as a nation quite as blood thirsty as Andrew Jackson's genocidal campaigns.
Personally I'm proud of Canada's modern record on conflict resolution with indigenous people. The 1 fatality in the 78 day Oka armed standoff illustrates the difference in approach north of the border compared to the stereotypical bellicose guns ablazing of our neighbours in conflict situations.
#RememberWaco
5
@Andy: Yes, depending on status, the US relationship to Tribal sovereignty does recognize the tribal-level legal authority to police their own peoples. However, I would respectfully disagree with your statement concerning the Oka armed standoff: one fatality is one too many.
1
@Andy The Public Safety Minister Bill Blair stated today that the RCMP in British Columbia have offered to leave Wet'suwet'en territory as talks continue ... what may not be known to many readers is that this claimed territory is just under 8500 square miles (22,000 square kilometers) and that it does not represent a "reserve" in the usual understanding. Furthermore, as the Province of British Columbia has no state-like police force this RCMP withdrawal leaves the Province unable to enforce court injunctions, etc. Canadian government discussions to resolve outstanding land claims are complex, involve more than 600 "tribal" governments with distinctive cultures, languages, art, music, etc. and involve claims to lands in excess of 100% of Canada's land area! In my opinion, the Trudeau government is pandering to indigenous extremists by not permitting the RCMP to act on court injunctions wherever they are issued subject to any court of appeal decision ... thus undermining the law.
2
Through working with a company attempting to build infrastructure within the traditional lands of 27 different First Nations, I learned that just like any other community, there will be differences in opinion. The current blockades highlight this very point, making it an important opportunity to educate Canadians. There are just as many indigenous members of society who want to improve the economic prospects of their communities through resource development as there are those who reject it.
3
Are the protesters covered by national health insurance?
@Bob that's a good question. Short answer is yes, no matter how it's delivered. Regardless how they're covered, it's not an argument or leverage of any kind in Canada, if that's what you're thinking...
PS There is no "national health insurance" in Canada. Health care is a provincial jurisdiction and is delivered provincially, with part of the funding from the federal agreements. Some of the protestors may be covered federally depending whether they are status or not.
In Ontario it would be "OHIP" Ontario Health Insurance Plan. I don't have any idea how health care is delivered to status members in Ontario outside remote communities.
2
Wasnt the Mohawks lands given to them by the British after the Mohawks fought for the monarchy and against the Americans in the Revolutionary War? How is it that they have had this land forever when they originally came from New York? Wasnt there some Native band that actually lived there forever that was forced off their land by the British and the Mohawks? Do they even exist anymore?
Tyendinaga is not "traditional Mohawk territory". The Tyendinaga Mohawks were originally from upper New York State. The land called Tyendinaga was deeded to the Mohawks by the British in the late 1700's, in recognition of their support on the British side during the American Revolutionary War. The Mohawks then relocated from New York State to what is now Ontario, Canada.
3
You can already see what is going to happen here: like they did with the Trans Mountain, the Canadian Government is going to end up buying the Coastal Gaslink Pipeline. This will end the protest, pay off the company, and provide a political "out" for the Government. Of course, having bought it, it will be anyone's guess as to whether this pipeline - or the Trans Mountain - ever gets built.
The Liberal government will fall, if not immediately then at the next election over their mishandling of these protests. Their delayed response has allowed the situation to become a multi headed monster that is viewed by the vast majority as a national crisis. This delights American interests that wish to keep Canadian fossil fuels in the ground. But the out come will be the reverse, varying by price not policy.
The other silver lining is that the Canadian public is realizing that the time time has come for a new deal with the youthful and growing indigenous population. First and foremost native leaders who strike the new deal will have to be accountable.
Resource revenue sharing agreements with targeted tax relief could form a basis to settle land claims that will lead to the demise of the Indian Act. No one likes the Indian Act. All are concerned with what will replace it. With 630+ bands to deal with it will vary. Some will move towards individual land ownership. Improved and improving education is and will be the driving force.
As a UN decorated native elder said to me 20 years ago
"The Jesuits did an awful lot of damage"...well those days are gone
4
Rarely, has a Canadian government been confronted with so many successive, and ongoing, crises in such a short period of time. There’s the never-ending Meng-Huawei saga with two young Canadians caught in the middle, the Flight 752 tragedy and its aftermath, and the Coronavirus epidemic that for some [sic] is as serious here as it is in China. All of these have consumed the headlines. But, in many respects, the current blockades in support of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary leaders’ opposition to the natural-gas pipeline hits closer to home than all the other crises combined because it has to do with our “core” identity as a nation. Not to recognize it as such, suggests that one hasn’t fully integrated into the Canadian mosaic.
The problem is that the vast majority of indigenous Canadians have a relationship with nature that has been largely lost to the vast majority of “Canadians” living in the so-called modern world. But since it is virtually impossible to live in the modern world without some form of integration, the difficulty is how to integrate the two. Canada would not be Canada without its ancient and fascinating indigenous cultures. The question is how can one flourish in such a culture? In the modern world it can only be achieved through compromise and mutual respect. But sadly, I don't feel this current episode is going to end well.
1
@Gerard Naddaf
What fascinates me most about many aboriginals, is they seem to be able to afford a new pickup truck more frequently than me.
@Gerard Naddaf I believe you are correct in pointing out the disconnect with the natural world underlies problems /misunderstandings. But every country in the world is undergoing massive shifts to urbanization. The ongoing migration of aboriginal people from the "Rez"to the cities of western Canada, particularly in the prairie provinces, is part of that trend in the digital modern world. How will we flourish? Education.
"... the Wet’suwet’en people themselves are divided over it. Their elected band councils support the project, but most of their hereditary leaders oppose it."
This is a major point in the article. Every indigenous band along the pipeline route has signed an agreement to support the pipeline in exchange for economic assistance and jobs, both of which are sadly lacking for these bands. The pipeline project has survived numerous court challenges and endless reviews. I'm not a big fan of pipelines, but what is the Canadian government supposed to do when faced with a disruptive protest by a tiny minority within a small minority?
2
@Roger T - evidently, capitulate
@Roger T
simple...enforce the Rule of Law
It's not surprising that the Canadian energy company (Enbridge) got the lame duck legislature/governor in Michigan to approve a pipe line under the Mackinac Straits with no public comment. People don't want it and the companies and governments want to do these activities with a minimum of safeguards for cost reasons. But..picture tens of millions of people with tainted drinking water so Enbridge can move oil from Canada to Canada to avoid this sort of situation.
Do we believe in majority rule and equal birthright citizenship, or do we believe in rule by hereditary, religiously justified leaders and the inferior status of anyone whose family hasn't been in the area for enough generations? Tell me again what's progressive and liberal about the latter.
3
Nice simplification, er, clarification, @Robert David South.
1
Good for you, Mr. Trudeau! Let's have a little realpolitik here - there is no way to play wack-a-mole over 3000 miles of train track that goes right through hundreds miles of indigenous lands, much never ceded through treaty. The plight of indigenous people is a popular cause in Canada.The vast majority of Canadians are sympathetic to the fact that the indigenous peoples of Canada have had their lands stolen, their livelihoods cut from them and their culture debased since "we" Canadians took the land by force and by small pox blankets. Let's get these negotiations going and end the blockades comprised of both indigenous people's and their non indigenous supporters, in an honorable manner. No one told the gas pipeline company to stupidly contract with only some of the principals and ignore others. And if the pipeline is forced to change its route to avoid pristine wilderness or even go bust - so be it. It's better for the Canadian economy that the pipeline contract, which is about one product and one company, be reworked rather than the railways stop working and commercial enterprise be stuck without access to the tracks that are vital to Canada's larger economy.
1
Canadian National Railway will be just fine, with 2019 profits in the billions. Despite their huge corporate profits, CN anticipated a lower final quarter in 2019 that had nothing to do with the protests.
Of course it's the 450 workers who are used as pawns in this narrative for railway access; but they likely would have been laid off anyway, protests or no protests.
For more background reading on CN, oil production, government contracts, etc. one might have a more clear understanding that this is a MIGHTY complicated issue.
https://www.reuters.com/article/canad-natio-rail-results/update-2-cn-rail-cuts-2019-adjusted-profit-outlook-sees-challenging-h1-idUSL3N2773MB?feedType=RSS&feedName=companyNews
3
@Heather It ain't only CN involved with this.
carona virus will arrive in Canada and cause havoc. To cripple rail transport and purposely derail propane deliveries in winter in one of the worlds coldest countries is suicidal.Canada will pay a dear price to be so "woke"
I don't agree with the Liberal government's approach on all issues, but here Trudeau is right to call for patience. Our economy is not going to break tomorrow if CN and Coastal GasLink do not get their way. The opposition leader can chirp because he does not have to run for re-election. He tried running on a platform that catered to Western conservatives in September, and lost.
As I read somewhere today, if only those who urgently call for pipelines to carry fossil fuels across Indigenous lands felt the same urgency to install pipelines to carry clean drinking water to some of the country's most overlooked First Nations, we'd be in a different situation today.
6
@Jktoronto This is a natural gas line, not a fossil fuel pipeline and it is an upgrade of an existing gas pipeline already in the area.
Also consider the hereditary chiefs supported a route for the project, but it would have greater impact on 4 other tribes.
This is the problem we all face.
@WJM To be clear, natural gas is a fossil fuel, along with coal and crude oil.
3
@Jktoronto How much patience? Have you not realized that this truly cripples the economy if it goes on much longer. We up here in Canada absolutely rely on rail lines to move around products natural resources and send them to ports for export. And that one particular route from Toronto to Montreal is a KEY to the country's economy. Without it for very long, Canada would be in financial trouble. That's why we have ALL of the provincial governments wanting the federal government to end this asap. They can't wait too much longer at all.
And the Mohawks who are doing this in Ontario are one of the most-corrupt Indian bands in the country - with a bad reputation in both Ontario and Quebec. And New York state and Vermont too - just across the St. Lawrence River.
1
Living in Canada, we are often reminded of the grim days of well-meaning missionaries that were convinced they knew what was best for First Nations populations with tragic consequences.
Yet today the vast majority of First Nations residents and their leaders want to take advantage of resource opportunities to break the cycle of government dependence - only to again be told that outsiders know better.
So we're now in a situation in which a country of 38 million people is being brought to a standstill - with massive economic, social and political costs - while our struggling leader seeks compromise and solutions with some people (many of whom aren't First Nations themselves) who just don't want to compromise. This crisis will define Justin Trudeau's legacy.
1
The headline is a bit misleading. Heckling is virtually pathological in Parliament. I must confess many members on all sides of the floor are not exactly the brightest guiding lights. To be honest, there is some resemblance south of the border when observing the deliberations in the Senate and House of Representatives. I won’t get into the so-called White House! Sorry for the digression…
5
If one knows the history of Canada then First Nations could have only wished that Canada had rule of law.
8
Without all the fancy wordsmithing... this sounds a lot like mob blackmail.
7
@Mystery Lits “peaceful protest” or “mob blackmail”. I guess it depends if you believe in democracy or not.
3
This pipeline is being built to ship LNG, liquid natural gas, mostly to China so they can modernize their coal fired power plants. Reducing China’s dependence on coal would improve everyone’s living conditions as they are one of the world’s largest polluters and are not going to shut their industry down for any reason. Why are these protesters not blocking B.C. from shipping coal to China as they are one of the biggest exporters of coal in the world. Because no one is paying for that protest.
8
@Dave if both LNG and coal are awful for methane, then they are just trading source methods but same end results in terms of climate change.https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/19/climate/methane-flaring-oil-emissions.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
Something to really consider for longer term cleaner fixes.
1
If Trudeau Jr was a student of history, he would be following the steps of his dad Pierre trudeau who displayed an effective method of dealing with home grown terrorists, in that case the FLQ.
4
@Ron B If you were a student of history, you would know that Pierre Trudeau used the grave emergency powers to strip Canadians of their rights in order to capture a radical group of kidnappers and bombers.
Is this the effective method that should be used to subdue the non-violent protest in this situation?
3
Whether north or south of the U.S. -- Canadian border, the "indigenous peoples" have extorted more than enough from the rest of for injuries that they, personally, did not suffer.
Enough, already!
7
This is in intractable issue - but a few so-called hereditary chiefs should not be allowed to circumvent the expressed will of its community (most of its members support the pipeline). Advanced democracies did away with hereditary rulers eons ago - if your only claim to power is that it is passed down owing to birth, then it is no claim given that elected band councils all agreed to the pipeline. It doesn't matter if band councils are vestiges of the colonial order - they were voted to lead by its members . . . having said that, I do agree that talking is better than force .. .
5
All the past (and present) Canadian federal governments have failed miserably in engaging with indigenous communities on reconciliation. Scheer's predecessor, Stephen Harper, botched the Enbridge pipeline because he failed to get First Nations approval and wouldn't share environmental information and reports with them. The Wet’suwet’en use the Delgamuukw SCC decision to say their system of law under the hereditary chiefs pre-date the law of the formed band councils under the Indian Act. The court has yet to establish clear case law on the limitations of the indigenous land boundaries, and the government needs to use more honesty and empathy in dealing with First Nations. Otherwise, the protests and blockades will continue.
12
Good job Mister PM Trudeau, I'm proud of you for not sending the cavalry in order to avoid another Oka war between our brothers and the police. The past Canadian governments didn't give a dang about destroying our Indian brothers and sisters in a well documented genocide. Business as usual in the oil industry is over in Canada as destroying the Earth, the Garden of Eden for money is an error of the past. The future generations need to know that they will live on Earth safely with clean air and clean water.
20
Trudeau is in the process of spending his last months as PM.
Quebec will be the jurisdiction that will seal his fate in the next election....thank goodness !
2
I don’t see how a blockade in Ontario is supposed help resolve a situation in BC.
2
It is a sympathetic blockade, in support of their fellow indigenous in BC
5
@Codger Re-read the story about why they are doing it.
3
We elected a drama teacher/ yoga instructor to the country's top job on the basis of his surname even though he had nothing of substance to offer. We are paying the price today.
First Nations receive $10B + yearly and the law prevents the Auditor General to look into where this money is spent although poverty, substance abuse and unemployment is the way of life in these communities.
We are now facing another blackmail threath which will be resolved with another hefty cheque.
13
@Georges First nations do not receive 10B+, that is the budget of the department, which includes a lot of functionaries, but also health care, education, justice etc like every other Canadian (sometimes not up to scratch at that), just provided by provincial and municipal governments rather than federal. So using your accounting you are, were or will be on assistance yourself ("a taker") and your "argument" carries about as much weight as the hot air it's delivered with.
Point is, maybe get behind a settlement instead of ranting might be a better long term solution for everyone?
3
I wonder how non-native supporters of the blockade have such an insight into Canadian native politics that they can make a choice between the conflicting positions of the hereditary chiefs and the band councils.
Do they all have PhDs in the subject?
3
@Ambrose Do all the executives of the oil companies have PhD's? They have assumed that the elected representatives' consent supersedes the views of the hereditary chiefs. Is it any different?
7
@maggieb
One is elected, the other is a kind of royalty.
Because of environmental reasons, and the 1984 decision of the Supreme Court of Canada (Guerin v The Queen [1984]) confirming the ancestral and cultural rights of the indigenous people to their land and resources, I support the Wet'suwet'en hereditary leaders protesting the construction of the Coastal GasLink’s natural gas pipeline through their traditional territory in northern British Columbia.
In "Guerin v The Queen (1984)" the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the nature of Aboriginal title imposes an enforceable fiduciary duty upon the Crown meaning that the title to Aboriginal land can be alienable only to the Crown, which may use it only IN THE INTEREST OF THE ABORIGINALS. Canada should obey the Rule of Law. Legaly, the claims of the Wet'suwet'en people are right.
13
Blocking rail lines and roads, while very effective, is a crime against the general public welfare. Protest all you want, but stay away from disrupting the infrastructure that the rest of your countrymen rely on. There should be special laws with significant penalties for this kind of lawlessness.
7
@BJ I wonder what you would say about the life and work of Martin Luther King? His actions also were "lawless."
2
Um, heckle happens in the Canadian Parliament all the time. I don't understand why you find it headline-worthy. The protests, sure; but not the parliamentary shenanigans, especially from the Conservatives.
9
As a Canadian/American currently living in the U.S., I totally support Trudeau's current stance on this issue. I have memories of numerous very messy altercations between First Nations people and the RCMP or provincial police forces (particularly in Quebec), not to forget the abysmal treatment of First Nations peoples in general over the decades.
First Nation peoples are not going away. Use violence to end this situation and you're only planting the seeds of the next confrontation. I know that Trudeau can't wait forever, but until he exhausts every effort at a peaceful resolution, he needs to stay the course.
22
It is more than a bit ironic for Mr. Scheer to speak about "rule of law" in regard to land that was stolen from its original inhabitants, whose descendants are only trying to protect it from the "mob" that is intent on destroying it for short-term profit.
29
@Scott Pretty simplistic analysis. Many First Nations want the pipeline. You can hear from them here: https://aptnnews.ca/2020/01/27/weve-got-a-real-divide-in-the-community-wetsuweten-nation-in-turmoil/
2
Tough situation. But if a dispute over land and natural resources can flare up in a country as large, as sparsely populated, and as prosperous as Canada, then is doesn't bode well in countries that are denser and poorer. Especially as climate change eroded the inhabitable space.
5
Lots of students could not take trains to go home on weekends,Not only is Trudeau losing in popularity ,Native groups are losing in populaity especially with younger groups.
15
@richard addleman I strongly suggest that a poll of most students would demonstrate that they are strongly on the side of the protesters. Young people are not going to change their views because they missed a train home for the weekend.
9
@richard addleman - If the youth can’t go home for the weekend then all is lost.
5
@richard addleman What a shame that students have a minor inconvenience. Indeed, this outweighs the centuries of this country's abuse of first nations peoples.
5
11% Canada's GDP arises from the oil and gas industry which employs several hundred thousand workers. If all Canadians are willing to suffer together the let the blockades continue. As others noted, even within the aboriginal communities there is conflict regarding the pipeline as the 'Elected' leaders favour it and 'Hereditary' chiefs don't.
7
More like single digits, and only because Harper favoured extraction over creation in Canada for the 9 years prior to Trudeau.
No-one in Canada outside Alberta is willing to kneel to oil industry imperatives anymore. Get used to it.
7
@Andy
Those are some big words coming from Paris.
Under Harper, the Canadian dollar wasn't in the toilet and Canadians weren't in debt up to their neck (despite the lowest unemployment rate in 40 years).
Canada is a resource economy, is every single nation that borders the Arctic Circle. It's facile and ridiculous to claim that 9 years of Harper doing something different was going change that.
Trudeau's juvenile tantrums have added nothing to the Canadian economy. If it weren't for the massive amounts of money laundering (ignored by law enforcement), and 300K "immigrants" arriving every year, Canada would be in a recession.
2
@Viv I don't care if the comments come from Paris or Montreal or Moscow.
Your quotation marks about the word immigrants say more than you can know.
3
It's time for Trudeau to understand he cannot be the environmental leader his country and the world needs as he also cheers on the fossil fuel producers who claim their exploitation of natural resources is necessary for a thriving economy.
News today in this paper about methane leaks exacerbating planetary warming is all the proof we need to stop this pipeline and our dependence on the untenable future it represents. All the pre-event acknowledgements to native peoples that this museum or that concert hall exists only thanks to those who have been displaced from their land means nothing if Canada refuses to end the resource extraction that harms every single one of us.
15
@Daisy The US produces around 13 million barrels of oil per day, while Canada's daily production is some 5.3 millions bpd. So who is harming every single one of us more, per day?
Mr. Scheer says, “Nobody has the right to hold our economy hostage.” I would suggest to Mr. Scheer that the fossil fuel industry is assassinating our future for short term profits.
This article presents only the skirmish and does little to enlighten the reader what is at stake. The last UN Emissions Gap Report says that to stay within 1.5C warming emissions need to be reduced by 7.6%/year (https://www.unenvironment.org/interactive/emissions-gap-report/2019/index.php). How does another pipeline square that circle?
And what of the role that international finance? JPMorgan Chase is the largest funder of TC Energy, the corporation that is currently getting the RCMP force to do their bidding on Wet'suwet'en territory to arrest Indigenous people in order to build this massive fracked gas pipeline. Corporate players should not be allowed to prioritize short term profits over the health and well being of everyone across the planet.
When this goes bust, as it will, who will be left to clean up the mess, who will pay the damages? Rate payers and governments around the world, climate refugees and migrants fleeing the next storm, the next billion animals caught in wildfires and the animals gone extinct in the 6th mass extinction, the next cities to go dry after Chennai and Capetown. The list of those paying the price will be measured in the billions, Mr. Scheer. The profits on your investments JP Morgan Chase, just aren't worth it. I don't want to pay for your stinking pipeline.
22
@Ken
If you're in Brooklyn, you're not paying for the Canadian pipeline.
You are, however, a huge beneficiary of hydroelectric power from Quebec and Ontario - sold to you as a consumer for significantly cheaper rates than Canadians are charged.
1
@Viv First of all, hydroelectric transmission is not fossil fuel. Secondly, Hydro-Québec's domestic rates are among the lowest int he world.
5
@Ken Exactly! Great comment.
1
It is interesting that the elected chiefs support the pipeline while the hereditary chiefs don't. There is no politics like native politics, except maybe fish politics.
32
@Jumank And if the Feds negotiate (i.e. pay-off) the hereditary chiefs, it would undermine the democratically elected leadership, not to mention, how do you pay-off the hereditary chiefs? A cheuqe payable to "cash" or suitcases full of hundred dollar bills?
4
@Ian Brown
What's democratic about *hereditary* chiefs? They're a monarchy by definition.
1
As a white, anglophone, Canadian, I fully support the Indigenous protests and their obstruction of rail routes for two salient reasons. Canada claims environmental aspirations by charging carbon taxes on its population as a means of inducing a greener society but then wants to build pipelines to export the problem somewhere else. The last time I checked, we all live within the same atmospheric dome regardless of locale. The protests, if by accident rather than design, draw attention to this hypocrisy. The oil and gas producing regions of Canada put all their eggs into one basket, believing these commodities to be eternal, and now reel as a product of corporate and governmental indolence in failing to see the eco-writing on the proverbial wall.
This country functions as a biproduct to the profits made by the railways, which are obscene, and are intrinsic in operating costs factored by the profitability of every industry from agriculture, manufacturing, and natural resources. If one wants to draw attention to one’s plight, blockading the railway would be a great place to start. Canadian railways suffer from the same capitalistic greed that belabours our society: safety standards are rock bottom (I’m a locomotive engineer and see this constantly demonstrated), and this adds a whole new dimension to the situation. The bigger economic picture should become far more regulated as a result of these protests which point to glaring holes in how Canada is run. First Nations forever!
22
It's sad when well-meaning liberals validate and support illegal behavior because they're in favour of social justice.
5
@Marcus Brant
I'm guessing you're not one of the 450 people laid off, then. How convenient for you to have an above-average salary for a job that requires below-average education.
1
@Marcus Brant But all that stuff you mentioned pays for our doctors, nurses and education, which in case you haven't noticed, is in big demand across the country and can barely keep up. Well, in lots of places it can't keep up and I am pretty certain that given the choice, seeing that Canada's total GHG emissions are below 3%, people who need a doctor NOW are going to choose more tax money for the health care system instead of burning cow patties in place of exporting oil.
1
Seems like the trains could just run. I mean, what's going to physically stop them?
11
@Jim
The impact from a moving 430,000 pound diesel locomotive would be enough to kill any human(s) unfortunate enough to be caught in front of the contraption. Your suggestion is rather like that of the late Governor George Wallace of Alabama who once remarked that his response to any protester lying down in front of his car would be to run the person over. On the other hand, in Idaho perhaps such a response is considered clever.
28
@Jim while you may think that your post is clever it is in reality nothing more than a perfect example of how you fail to think things through. It would only take the protestors a few minutes to remove a section of rail that would shut down any train foolish enough to attempt something like this. It would most likely result in a train wreak and kill the train crew. So make no bones about it the protestors can stop those trains without much effort at all.
4
The tyranny of the minority is in full force in Canada. Consultations have already led elected councils to approve the pipeline (and bring much-needed jobs), but a loud, obnoxious mob wants a veto - that doesn't seem fair.
As for environmentalists, where do you think the money comes from to fund climate change measures? Without an economy you can forget any effort or support on this front.
33
@Carl You can have a prosperous economy on renewable energies and other energy sources that don't burn fossil fuels. The myth that getting off fossil fuels will destroy the economy are greatly exaggerated by the same companies needing government subsidies to remain competitive in the energy production business. Coal has died, but Canadian taxpayers paid more than they spent on education propping up the dying coal industry for the past 20 years. Look at how much is being spent propping up the remaining fossil fuel industry, especially if the overall long term costs are calculated into the equation.
It not only makes sense to not pollute the only planet we can live on, but it now makes economic sense to do so as well.
When will you agree to let the fossil fuel industry die? If your answer is "not the foreseeable future" and you have no roadmap getting there then you are part of the problem, not the solution.
22
Maybe the Canadians can take a look at what is happening to Australia because they don't want to face reality about fossil fuels and climate change. That goes for the United States as well.
7
@James Wallis Martin Can you? Please point to one industrial economy that runs exclusively on renewable energy sources. I keep hearing this assertion made, but have yet to locate it.
I'm reading some comments on social media to the effect that CN announced layoffs in the fall, and is now positioning these as responses to the blockade. I don't know whether this will turn out to be true.
6
Several problems twisted together:
First, if we recognize the elected representatives of the indigenous communities along the British Columbia pipeline, all of whose elected representatives have consented to the pipeline, we cannot side with the protesters and claim we respect indigenous peoples.
Secondly, if we recognise the unelected hereditary chiefs, we are agreeing with the proposition that birth status confers a veto power. In a democracy, I am not prepared to accept their veto. Why does the federal government continue to give credence to their self proclaimed veto power by holding discussions with them.
Thirdly, while supporters are free to protest, they cannot be allowed to impede federally regulated railways over disputes two thousand miles away. The railways are neither owned by the government nor regulated under the same regime as the pipelines nor owned by the company constructing the BC pipeline nor supplying the contractors of the pipeline.
Finally, the overall goal of the pipeline is to create an export market for natural gas. So what do you want in Asia, coal power plants or natural gas power plants?
49
Nice row of straw men. In a biofuel corn field?
1
“Coal plants or natural [sic] gas power plants?” That’s a false choice. You totally left out renewables. And around here we don’t like to use the greenwashing term “natural” gas. It’s fracked gas.
4
@Peace Order and Good Government You are judging this entire issue through the lens of a system of law that was imposed upon the people who "owned" the land we now call Canada. The First Nations have their own systems and trying to suggest that "our" laws supersede theirs isn't appropriate.
2
I believe this could be an amazing process. Canadian dealings with the First Nations has usually been dictatorial followed by the use of force. This pipeline could have be rerouted to be acceptable to all First Nations but the company refused to reroute as, of course, they are a part of a powerful industry that is usually supported by the government.
The pro pipeline side does have a lot of money to exert pressure and they can be quite divisive in their PR. They do not like to compromise or negotiate. The bigotry that is expressed by their supporters can be quite disconcerting and depressing.
But J Trudeau has reached out to many groups that are usually ignored and oppressed, so this situation is hopeful.
16
To be clear, when Andrew Scheer references "rule of law," he is referring to our European/settler law, not First Nations law. The protests concern land on territory in British Columbia that is unceded, meaning, it was never negotiated under treaties, and so stating that indigenous protestors are breaking the law is like complaining you can't sell the hotel that you're staying in as a guest.
Also, taking his cue from elected leaders south of the border, Mr. Scheer loves to characterize concerned citizens as "radical activists" rather than what they are: people who recognize that the way to combat climate change is not to build yet another pipeline.
74
@Sarah
The land at Belleville, Ontario is owned by CN. It is thousands and thousands of miles from BC.
11
There's no point arguing against the social justice mindset. They're beyond the reach of rationality.
3
@Richard Blaine and that is relevant how. Are you really out of touch that you think a protest has to be located at the land in question? I guess the word strategy is a new concept for you.
2
I would rebut to Mr. Sheer: isn't it the oil and natural gas industries who hold your (and my) nation hostage?
This protest against oil and gas pipelines by your country's First Nation peoples is amplified by the millions of us who need proactive leadership by all wealth-holding nations to take action to replace economic dependency on carbon-based, climate changing energy sources.
Forget continuation of protection of antiquated and dangerous fuels. This would be the perfect time to announce solidarity with Canada's First Nations in creation of new policy initiatives toward sustainable, Green technologies.
Just do it!
40
@Cate The elected tribal leaders of the First Nation at the centre of the blockade in BC support the natural gas pipeline. First Nations are typically equity partners in large energy projects. These projects supply needed employment and cash to these nations. Not everyone can work for Microsoft or Amazon in Seattle.
9
@SJ: Thank you for the details about BC's First Nation tribal leaders. However, it seems that if carbon-free technologies were to be offered as the new employment option for tribal members,
wouldn't that be attractive to them for "needed employment and cash to these nations"?
@Cate The challenge here is that there is also a power struggle within the BC First Nations communities. If the hereditary chiefs give way to elected leadership (which wants the project) there are likely concerns about longterm surrender of authority. And remember, this is just one of 20 tribes the project has been working through.
1
Governing takes courage, taking selfies, not so much.
27
@Anne Bouci I would suggest that restraint and dialogue takes courage as well, as the easiest thing would be to send in the attack dogs.
1
Conservatives love to defend private property rights except when minority groups assert them.
86
@Norm Vinson
All lands are subject to expropriation for infrastructure projects which are in the best interests of the nation.
This has always been the case with electrical transmission lines, roadways , seaways etc.
19
@Ron B - I don't think that applies to First Nations lands.
3
@Norm Vinson
But if the Indian electorate favors the pipeline what gives others the right to disregard that electorate?
2
If you don't want your rail lines and roads blocked, don't force them through Mohawk lands, without their consent. No action on Mohawk land, authorized by the Mohawk people, is illegal.
9
@Marcel LeMay My ancestors have been in Canada longer than the Mohawks. There is no issue whatsoever about the legality of the CN Rail lines. The Mohawks occupy land in Canada that was given to them by the British after they fought, and lost, in the revolutionary war.
12
@Marcel LeMay It's not going through Mohawk land, it's going through Wet’suwet’en land.
6
@dbryant - I don't think he is referring to the gas pipeline but the rail lines that are being blocked.
1
The best way to fix this would be to stop stealing native land for profits, but I guess a 400 year habit is hard to give up.
42
@Westley of Toronto -- you live on land that was "stolen" from natives long ago. There were people in what is now called Toronto thousands of years ago.
3
Trudeau is a useless poseur who has the spinal strength of overcooked pasta. This situation requires a strong decision, but strength is not in Justin's wheelhouse. He's better at picking pretty shirts for himself and his family.
32
@George Tyrebyter I've seen Justin's strength in the boxing ring. Perhap's you'd like to challenge him like his previous opponent.
11
@Potlemac So your response to written criticism is to threaten violence? Not very enlightened, or sensible.
I suspect that the Mohawks believe the “mob” Mr. Sheer refers to is the fossil fuel interests, not the Native Americans who are protesting. .
14
@Gordon Hastings The Mohawks cannot be placed on high ground in Canada as some other First Nations in the country can. Far more crooks among Mohawks per capita.
Power to the "People of the Wa Dzun Kwuh River", the Wetʼsuwetʼen. May they, their culture, their values, and their land, prevail.
10
This looks like a rule of the mob.
There is only one way to handle it, in the 'near term'.
Living in USA, I would welcome Canada destroying or crippling its fossil fuel business, whichever way they chose to do that. It will keep up the US companies.
17
@ss
I think we're dumb enough to do that for you.
We've been selling oil to the US at below market value for years delivering you folks a gift of billions of dollars per year.
After all, we're Canadians and Canadians are, as everyone knows..... "nice".
7
@Ron B
It hasn't been sold at "below market rates", it's been sold at what the market is willing to pay. Partly because there are few options to export to other countries but also because much of the oil is very heavy and few refineries are equipped to process it.
Similarly, oil from North Dakota has been selling at a discount to WTI because it's much harder to get to market.
2
A table of oil train derailments includes the tragedy at Lac Magentic ON when 47 people in a bar died horribly. It should be known that the accident happened after a local fireman, called in response to a smoking engine, released the train's air brakes before blocking the train from rolling down the very long hill into the village!
3
@Bill D It's Lac-Megantic, in Quebec.
5
From coast to coast. Justin Trudeau is talking to the Premiers of provinces (like Governors in US) from across the country this afternoon. It's gonna be a conference call and there's no doubt that premiers are going to be making lots of noise. Provincial leaders in Canada are seldom in complete agreement about things - but this closing of the railroad in Ontario is bringing them all together. Premiers of Manitoba and Quebec were howling about it yesterday. Saskatchewan's the day before.
Trudeau's Liberal Party only holds a minority government right now - and there could be another federal election within a year. If this blockade and other First Nations protests continue to hurt the political and economic atmosphere, it will hurt the Liberal government. Trudeau is trying too hard to be the "nice guy" and one of my fears is that when true negotiations with First Nations do start, he will be too wiling to give them too much in order to be a "nice guy."
12
Prime Minister Trudeau, who, rather like Mrs Clinton, did not receive the majority of votes in our last election, is not the leader Canada needs right now.
Serious adults that are versed and fluent in conflict analysis and resolution are what we need now in Ottawa.
There are talented Canadians/Canadiens in all five of our federal parties in parliament, as well as in the First Nation communities, that can take this on.
Mr Trudeau is not in that camp. Sadly, he is rather too much status and not enough quo.
21
Clinton received the majority of votes. No one in the Canadian election received a majority of votes, due to the number of parties.
39
@Norm Vinson Clinton received a plurality, but it was still less than 50%.
2
@Norm Vinson
Hillary Clinton did *not* receive a majority of votes.
1
Trudeau is trying to balance the interests of the oil dependent western provinces with his stated objectives of bringing reconciliation with our first nations and weening Canada away from fossil fuels. There are no easy answers and he is hampered by a minority government. This will resolve in the Canadian way - through expedited hearings in the courts - letting politicians off the hook from making difficult decisions. The pipelines will get built, commerce and oil will flow and (some of the) first nation communities will profit.
27
@Kim
Meanwhile the economy is going down the tubes.
5
@Ron B Ah well, have you forgotten the rail strike of only a few months ago? Life went on.
Trudeau likes photo ops and the opportunity to give speeches that are full of good intentions. This has not led to much practical change for Indigenous people in Canada. Canada has started to confront the crimes committed against Indigenous people over centuries of colonization. However we need to address the ongoing civil and human rights violations that are still prevalent here. I don't think that blockades necessarily lead to change and have the unfortunate consequence of negative impacts on everyone including the people fighting for their dignity. Canada needs concrete goals, measurable outcomes, and defined time frames to to make reconciliation achievable. Speeches by the politicians have accomplished little.
8
@Randy Harris Actually, the CBC carried an article that stated that quite a bit of progress has been made under Trudeau in terms of getting good water to reserves across Canada and lifting boil water advisories. Much good it has done him though. Like buying that pipeline, hard to find anyone who thanked him from either side of the issue.