brucewark says:
Oh Billy Boy, how I hope you are wrong. I’ve been thinking about your comment for a few days now. I normally don’t respond, but since nobody else has so far, I think I’ll weigh in.
You claim that First Nations have “zero influence, zero weight, and little ability one way or the other.” I hope you are wrong, although I notice NS Premier Tim Houston’s government appears to agree. Without consulting First Nations, his government reversed the ban on uranium exploration and mining; brought in a law to ban Indigenous protests to block clear-cutting on Crown land and called on the RCMP to crack down on non-government cannabis sales including shops on First Nations’ reserves. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/mi-kmaw-chiefs-tim-houston-claudia-chender-derek-mombourquette-cannabis-9.7012307
During his six years in office, I guess Blaine Higgs thought First Nations had “zero influence and zero weight” too when he abruptly cancelled shared gas-tax agreements without giving notice, launched a vigorous court challenge to land title claims resulting in yesterday’s ruling that J.D. Irving and two other big forestry companies are excluded from such claims and enthusiastically pushed for an end to the moratorium on fracking https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/chiefs-respond-higgs-comment-fracking-natural-gas-1.6840162
And I’m wondering if NB Power and PROENERGY didn’t agree with you too when they claimed, without any evidence, that the Mi’kmaq were investors in their gas plant and actually favoured the Centre Village site.
You may be wrong about one thing though Billy Boy. It looks like First Nations do have a seat at the table — but then again, only if they support burning fossil fuels and extracting mineral resources. Ford has his Ring of Fire, Holt has her Sisson mine, while Carney and Smith are pushing their new pipeline.
Oh, Billy Boy. When it comes to the continued existence of settler colonialism in Canada, you are scratching an open sore.
Commentary found today at Bruce Wark's website warktimes.com ...
Hope you're doing OK Bruce... you've done a lot to assist the "natives" here in N.B.
Found here:



