This week is Premier John HorganB次元官网网址檚 first appearance at the B.C. Cabinet and First Nations LeadersB次元官网网址� Gathering, an annual event established by former premier Christy Clark.
The province pays expenses to bring together representatives from across the province for meetings in Vancouver. ItB次元官网网址檚 commonly called the B次元官网网址渁ll chiefsB次元官网网址� meeting, including as many of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 200-odd aboriginal communities as care to go.
There will be plenty to talk about this week, from wildfire losses to timber, ranching and other aboriginal business to the latest changes in Ottawa.
With the usual hugs and fanfare, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reorganized his cabinet, dividing the Indigenous Affairs ministry into two. There is now an Indigenous Services department to carry on the burden of providing for 600-odd federal reserve communities, and a new Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs ministry to focus on the broader relationship between Canada and its Inuit, Metis and First Nations people.
Yes, each will have its own deputy minister and staff, confirmed Carolyn Bennett, who moves to the new Crown-Indigenous role. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 about de-colonizing,B次元官网网址� Bennett said. Right, by fattening the stagnant Ottawa bureaucracy that presides over a paralyzed B.C. treaty negotiation process that burns through millions a year.
Trudeau likes to strike poses in his buckskin jacket and make symbolic gestures, like renaming the Langevin Block on Parliament Hill to expunge the name of an architect of residential schools. ThatB次元官网网址檚 easier than fixing water systems and failing schools in remote locations that will never host functional communities, no matter how much public money is thrown at them.
Bennett has been mostly in the news lately for the ongoing collapse of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls inquiry, an idea so naive and flawed itB次元官网网址檚 a wonder even TrudeauB次元官网网址檚 urban Liberals imagined it could work. One of the main obstacles to progress is OttawaB次元官网网址檚 refusal to reopen every old murder case across the country, or at least the ones in which the victims werenB次元官网网址檛 Indigenous men or boys.
Mid Island-Pacific Rim MLA Scott Fraser has been handed B.C.B次元官网网址檚 Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. I asked him about OttawaB次元官网网址檚 latest move.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 separating the service side of it, thatB次元官网网址檚 kind of the old colonial Indian Act stuff, from the meat and bones of where weB次元官网网址檙e going in the future,B次元官网网址� Fraser said.
HeB次元官网网址檒l be hitting all these politically correct talking points at the B次元官网网址渁ll chiefsB次元官网网址� meeting this week. Last year, federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould gave a long speech there in an attempt to explain how the United Nations declaration of B次元官网网址渇ree, prior and informed consentB次元官网网址� canB次元官网网址檛 just be imposed on Canadian law. Fraser has orders from Horgan to reorganize the B.C. treaty process to reflect the UN declaration as well.
Skeena MLA Ellis Ross was elected for the B.C. Liberals in May after serving as chief councillor of the Haisla Nation, and trying to get liquefied natural gas development going. Ross is more concerned about the new NDP governmentB次元官网网址檚 opposition to resource projects than the abstract B次元官网网址渞ights and titleB次元官网网址� discussion. He tuned that out while leading a northern community near Kitimat that struggled with unemployment, alcoholism and related social issues.
He said the NDPB次元官网网址檚 last-minute intervention in a court case against the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is a B次元官网网址渨ell-known strategyB次元官网网址� to delay and starve energy investment. In an urban society where only protesters get media attention, the rural aboriginal communities that support investment and jobs are mostly ignored.
The NDP is negotiating to offer them a small share of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 gambling revenues instead.
Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter
and columnist for Black Press.
