COMMENTARY FOR CBC BY JAMES WASTASECOOT
September 11, 1995
Canadians are perplexed and surprised by the events which have
been unfolding over the summer.
Indians however are not surprised. Indian leaders have been warning
for years that such violent outbreaks would be the outcome of
generations of government indifference and neglect which have
marked the handling of grievances for a hundred years and more.
Common to the current outbreaks is land. There are many more
Okas, Ipperwashes, and Gustafsens out there gathering explosive
potential in the hundreds of so called claims which dot the map of
Canada at the office of the Department of Indian Affairs.
After all it's 1995, 121 years since the earliest treaty in Manitoba was
signed. Yet even here, black and white promises explicitly stated in
that treaty have not been implemented by federal and provincial
governments. In Manitoba alone there are 24 such land entitlements
pending.
Other land grievances go back even further in other parts of the
country and are layered with history and a complex of issues. Suffice
to say that Indians have been waiting a long time for resolution of
these matters and circumstances are now at a point where there is a
danger of a loss of confidence in the established processes.
Canadians need to look behind the headlines screaming "shooting",
"ambush" and "blockade" and behind their political leaders' assertions
of these incidents as law and order issues to understand the real
causes which have led to the current crisis.
The circumstances that have created these situations are not criminal
in nature as the politicians are trying to cast them, but rather political
in nature. They are the fallout of the massive failure of the political
process and political will on so called "Indian claims."
First Nations are not averse to gaining political processes but
Canadians will understand that to be meaningful, processes have to
lead to some definable outcome at some point. Neither Canadians nor
First Nations see merit in throwing money at phony and insincere
processes that lead nowhere or onto a merry-go-round of negotiations
and stalling.
The characterization of the confrontations as law and order matters
is a specious hypocritical attempt to manipulate an ill-informed
public. In British Columbia where an election is approaching, Mike
Harcourt obviously sees some political mileage coming from his taking
a tough stance to Indian claims in his province. In Ontario, Premier
Harris' kneejerk response to the situation at Ipperwash is
disappointing to say the least. And the federal minister, Ron Irwin's
credibility is dissipating quickly as he resorts to catcalling from the
sidelines. Nobody is leading the way here and Canadians and Indians
alike are suffering as a result.
The social and economic circumstances among First Nations are
worsening instead of improving. A ballooning population of young
people, better educated than their parents and with expectations is
emerging. They are anxious to realize a better life but are not finding
it. Groups of individuals, asserting rights often around a small issue
or around a blatant act of dispossession or oppression react. They
have no trouble finding other frustrated individuals ready to rally
behind the cause and proceed to occupy a piece of land.
A political issue becomes transformed as a criminal issue and
suddenly it's now a police matter and not a political one.
Arresting individuals at these incidents and parading them before
white courts will not do anything to resolve the underlying issues.
Invoking unilateral interpretations of the "rule of law" and use of the
aggressive actions by authorities of the state are inappropriate to
these political circumstances. THE fact of the matter is that there is
no clear law on many of these issues.
Politicians have to make the effort to understand and respond with
workable solutions to the deep sense of frustration and anger felt by
First Nations over the apparent unwillingness of governments to
negotiate and resolve issues of land treaty and inherent rights.
Canadians must ask themselves what are a people to do when the so
called "rule of law" renders only injustice? Even in Canada the rule of
law can mean the tyranny of the state.
For commentary, this is James Wastasecoot in Winnipeg.
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James is the publisher and editor of The First Perspective newspaper,
based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
We have a site at
http://www.mbnet.mb.ca/firstper