Saturday 2 May 2020

Wet'suwet'en MOU: Turning Lemonade Into Lemons...

For God's sake, what the hell is happening here? Like so many, I've pushed relentlessly for First Nations to be viewed politically and in law as equal stakeholders with governments and project proponents going forward.

Now this: the Hereditary Chiefs reach a draft agreement with the federal and provincial governments on rights and title. For that, all involved deserve our praise and appreciation. But then we find out that Elected Chiefs and Councils were not consulted regarding the MOU, nor were any of their representatives engaged in the talks. In short, the agreement that Hereditary Chiefs have now ratified had not previously been the object of a wide-ranging consensus across the Wet'suwet'en First Nation.

Got to say that Elected Chiefs have a pretty fundamental point. So, what can I say other than to urge all parties to do whatever it takes to get that consensus on board. Nothing is more big-picture than rights and title. And if it takes third-party first nation mediation by the AFN, or anyone else, then please do whatever is necessary to successfully solve this dispute. Your ancestors are watching. The least all of you owe them is to make them proud.


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