IT’S ALL ABOUT RESPECT

We received this letter at The Kawartha Promoter. Unfortunately, due to space constraints, we are unable to publish it in our print edition. ~Deb Crossen, Editor

When I hear the rally call for people to respect the rule of law in Canada, part of me couldn’t agree more. As a non-Indigenous Canadian, I say “Yes, let’s respect the treaties that we signed. Let’s respect the Supreme Court of Canada’s affirmation of Aboriginal Title. Let’s respect national and international human rights laws and section 35 of our own constitution. Let’s respect the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Let’s respect the diverse laws that clearly state that First Nations peoples in what is called Canada have the right to decide what does and does not take place in their territories.” Too many of us who are Settlers in Canada have little to no awareness of these laws let alone do we realize that we, through our elected representatives, continue to break these laws. The irony then, is that we are the ones who need to respect the rule of law.

When it comes to our interaction with Indigenous peoples in Canada, the instances of Canada ignoring laws are too numerable to account for in this letter (information is readily available for anyone with a sincere desire to look for it). And it’s not only that we have ignored these laws. We distort our laws directly by making clearly abhorrent and racist undertakings legal (Indian Residential Schools, a ban on traditional ceremonies, First Nations access to legal representation being illegal, -- these were all law in Canada not too long ago). And we distort the law by enforcing laws and protections differently for different people. Again, examples of this are rampant in Canada. An easy current example is the use of armed RCMP to remove Wet’suwet’en people from their own lands – with RCMP snipers in place and an exclusion zone preventing media documentation of RCMP activity on Wet’suwet’en lands.  Can you imagine the same scenario happening in a non-Indigenous community in Canada? Can you imagine sniper guns aimed at educators while they defend their stance on public education? Would we be okay with media being excluded from our non-Indigenous community as the armed RCMP comes in to stop us from protecting our lands and waters?  Unwarranted aggression such as this is not only unacceptable, it is illegal insofar as BC has no legal basis for sending the RCMP onto sovereign Wet’suwet’n lands,

I empathize with anyone who is truly at risk of not being able to make ends meet due to actions that are being taken across the nation to bring this attack on Wet’suwet’en sovereignty to our consciousness. Our collective frustration though, should be directed at where the problem started. If Canada and its myriad of governments would respect Aboriginal title, UNDRIP, national and international human rights law and treaty responsibilities (applicable to many places in Canada though not Wet’suwet’en territories) this, and so many other ongoing challenges, would be avoided. Such respect is long overdue but it won’t happen if we remain passive or ignorant and it won’t happen without continued pressure on our governments from us. It’s time for Canadians and our government to finally be the people we like to think we are – honest, peaceful and defenders of human rights for all people at all times.

The Truth & Reconciliation Community of Bobcaygeon