While jobs, training, and entrepreneurial opportunities would undeniably be welcomed by Ring of Fire communities, experience from mining operations in other jurisdictions unfortunately suggests these benefits are likely to be limited and ephemeral.
The Cabinet’s authority to designate projects and override recommendations by regulatory bodies creates a new form of political uncertainty.
There is no pan-Indigenous legal order and no pan-Indigenous response to questions of Indigenous citizenship. The determination of these questions must always be according to a specific legal order, laws, and legal process.
The federal government’s distorted version of reconciliation is incompatible with the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and domestic and international human rights law.
The government’s refusal to meet the terms of the Human Rights Tribunal ruling reminds us that Canada’s economy systematically devalues Indigenous life.
In September 2016, the Broadbent Institute hosted Progress Summit BC to chart a progressive path forward for the province in this critical election year. The first keynote was delivered by Law Foundation Professor of Aboriginal Justice and Governance at the University of Victoria, Val Napoleon.
The progressive left has the opportunity to show leadership and use the federal government’s stated commitment to implement the TRC calls to action and usher in truly transformational change.
First Nation children are denied equal access to health care supports and services, and receive significantly less per capita funding for their education and far less funding per capita once in care despite this greater need.
Today and every day, all of Canada needs to understand that these bluntly discriminatory systems continue to be a lived legacy for Indigenous peoples and Canadians across the country.
