Charlie Watt, the president of Makivik Corp., sent a message of support to the Liberal government last week. (File photo)
Two Inuit orgs offer divergent positions on railway blockades
While Makivik Corp. praises Trudeau government, NTI accuses Ottawa of using “coercive power”
Two organizations, two divergent positions: that’s how Makivik Corp. and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. are reacting to the Wet’suwet’en Indigenous land rights dispute that has sparked railway line blockades and protests across the country this month.
In a statement issued this past Feb. 20, Makivik’s president, Charlie Watt, sent what he called a “message of support” to those federal cabinet ministers who have engaged in talks with Mohawks from Tyendinaga who were blocking a rail line near Belleville, Ont., in support of Wet’suwet’en hereditary house chiefs who oppose the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline that would run across northern British Columbia from Dawson Creek to Kitimat.
“Observing it from afar I commend the key ministers—Carolyn Bennett at Crown-Indigenous Relations, and Mark Miller at Indigenous Services— for engaging in deep discussions with the Wet’suwet’en in B.C., and Mohawk at Tyendinaga, Ontario respectively,” said Charlie Watt, Makivik’s president.
At the same time, Watt said he “understands how deeply the Wet’suwet’en feel”—because of his work negotiating the 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement.
“At the core of this conflict are historic relations between Indigenous peoples and the Crown in Canada over jurisdiction, self-determination, and sovereignty,” Watt said.
Watt, a former Liberal senator, also slammed national Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, Conservative leadership candidate Peter Mackay and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney for advocating immediate police intervention.
“That simply demonstrates gross ignorance of the history of Indigenous relations in Canada, and fosters hatred towards Indigenous peoples as opposed to building understanding, and contributing to reconciliation between Canadians and Indigenous peoples,” Watt said.
NTI, on the other hand, slammed the Liberal government for how it has handled the crisis so far.
“In traditional Wet’suwet’en territory the Government of Canada is using coercive power and is dictating the use of land by means of establishing exclusion zones, forceful removal of land defenders, and threats to journalists,” NTI said in a statement issued on Feb. 21.
The NTI statement also offered unequivocal support for the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs who oppose the construction of a natural gas pipeline in B.C. from Dawson Creek to Kitimat.
About one-third of the pipeline’s route passes through territory over which the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs claim sovereignty. This past January, the hereditary chiefs presented Coastal GasLink with an eviction notice and felled trees to block a road and prevent construction activities.
The protesters who attempted to implement that “eviction” were removed by the RCMP early in February. NTI still supports their claim.
“Nunavut Tunngavik stands in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en land defenders, and all the Indigenous nations supporting them for their inherent right to govern their own territory and to protect their ancestral lands,” the NTI statement said.
“Canada must accept that the Wet’suwet’en have jurisdiction!” NTI said.
The Inuit organization also warned that its relationship with Canada is now at stake.
“If Canada does not believe that, it is difficult for us, as an Indigenous people, to continue to have trust in our relationship with the Government of Canada,” NTI said.
As of this story’s publication date, the Ontario Provincial Police had started to arrest protesters from the Tyendinaga Mohawk territory near Belleville who had been blockading the rail line that connects Toronto with Ottawa and Montreal.
At the same time, people from the Mohawk territory of Kahnawake were blocking a CP rail line southwest of Montreal and other protesters had erected a partial blockade in Saskatoon.
The reason for the protest should be respected. Although we live in an area where we depend on dirty fossil fuels, we should recognize the need for a major change in the types of energy we produce and consume. There needs to be a paradigm shift in how we treat nature. Make it economical to get others on board, if that`s what it takes. Better sooner than later.
“We live in an area where we depend on dirty fossil fuels” applies to the whole world, not just Nunavut as you believe. Over 3/4 of Nunavut’s fuel is used for transportation and heating, much like the rest of the world. That devise you use to type your comments is also derived from petroleum, powered by petroleum, kept warm by petroleum and I suspect arrived in Nunavut in a plane that used petroleum. You should have a little more reverence for the dirty fuel your life clearly depends on… but anyway this is not really the subject of this article
Reverence for dirty fuel? Um, no. Do you think the people of London worshipped coal in the Industrial Era?
Take a look at the horizon tomorrow. That green/brown line of smog that we produce isn’t something to be proud of. Narrow minds won’t get us ahead.
A pipeline is a pipeline, but this pipeline is set to transport natural gas, not oil
Natural fuels still liquify and leak. It isn’t really much of a difference. Little known fact.
In British Common law, something called Usufruct. People who use the land fruitfully for some period
of time have some measure of common title to that land.
The hipsters at NTI are just jumping on a bandwagon like “useful idiots”.
Hard to see how this performance benefits the membership.
And Charlie Watt has been a liberal long enough to know Justin Trudeau as a kid, as a colleague, as his boss, now his ally…
If we’re gonna talk why which org is biased towards which position on protesting the Liberal government, we can’t ignore that Charlie has been a connected and committed Liberal insider longer than most of our population have been alive.
If I liked betting, I’d say Charlie’s position doesn’t match up with most Nunavimmiut, because most Nunavimmiut haven’t made a great career connected to the Liberals and the Trudeaus… there’s a reason why we mostly started voting NDP, after all.
NTI again, but I did not expect any different comment on this situation. Start handling your own shop and do it properly before you involve yourself in federal business you don’t have any knowledge about.
No wonder a man responsible for extinguishing land titles for the people of Nunavik section 2.1 in the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement would be on the side of colonialism down right disrespect the true caregivers of the land this guy should not be speaking on behalf of the true Inuit of Nunavik
Stepping their feet where they even shouldn’t be. Nunavut uses every part of the crude oil that is processed, every single drop. Shut up NTI, you’re not doing the beneficiaries any good, never have, never will.
We got water, wind, and could be saving money by using those options as an energy source. Yes, it will cost a lump sum at the get go. Yes, we need natural gas to heat houses but to rely on them for generators at our power plants is just tossing us closer to colonialism, drop by drop, as it is killing our animals and land that our culture rely on, unmercifully. Both parties are in the right but to have a solid stance on either side is arrogant. Take the best of both worlds. FYI, natural gas leaks liquify. Put any gas under pressure, IT LIQUIFIES. Yes, it does evaporate quickly, but touching certain elements or temperatures, it either makes a compound or in cold conditions, stays a liquid. Simple science, people.
Calling for police intervention is bad?
“That simply demonstrates gross ignorance of the history of Indigenous relations in Canada, and fosters hatred towards Indigenous peoples as opposed to building understanding, and contributing to reconciliation between Canadians and Indigenous peoples”
OR
It demonstrates leaders saying that the rule of law should prevail.
Like all Canadians, indigenous people need to engage in the Court process to have rights recognizes and wrongs made right.