The Reasons for Failure in Canada's Resource Extraction and Management Many; Consigning Aboriginals to Dismal Expectations for their Future

"There is a well co-ordinated, well-funded machine shutting down Canada. The agenda is basically anti-fossil fuel, but also forestry and mining. This machine has set back Aboriginal reconciliation by twenty years."
"The [Aboriginal] communities know full well what LNG [liquid natural gas] is all about. They approved it. They signed onto it. They wanted the training. The media is not telling the whole story."
"They [outside interests interfering and spreading false messages] leave us to pick up the pieces. People have no idea how crazy this can be."
"Why celebrate the right to title if we can't make use of it? What good does it do if I'm on welfare, or going to commit suicide?"
"So when projects [pipeline, LNG plants] came to town, we had, for the first time, a tool to say we want to be part of the economy and benefit from the project..."
"We would have the opportunity to get jobs, real training and take proceeds back into our village for kids, seniors, fund ourselves and not have to beg for everything anymore."
"People talk about [Aboriginal issues] that have no idea what it's all about. They don't know what it's like to live up here."
"Anybody with a job has a better chance of learning better values, getting an education, helping his family, having a meaningful life. They shouldn't become an alcoholic, like I did. They shouldn't be committed to walking around on drugs on a reserve like I did."
"This is especially hard for men. I felt badly when I couldn't provide for my family."
"This is about U.S. interests sending money into our country, making sure that we Canadians destroy our own country. This is corporate warfare on a global scale and I don't think Canada understands we're in this game and being outplayed. We ship crude at a discount [due to pipeline shortages] and will be shipping gas to them at a discount for their LNG projects."
"This machine will get braver and braver. It's not going to stop, why would they stop?"
Indigenous leader, Liberal British Columbia MLA Ellis Ross

Anti pipeline protesters are arrested after blockading E Hastings and Clark Dr. , in Vancouver, BC., February 25, 2020. NICK PROCAYLO / PNG

MLA Ellis Ross is a former chief councillor for the Haisla Nation. His activism has brought him to the forefront of issues respecting resource development and Aboriginal rights in British Columbia. He speaks from his years of personal experience, both as an Native Canadian reflecting the struggles known only to Aboriginals, as well as what he has seen and discovered through his time in political office. The current standoff between a handful of Wet'suwet'en chiefs in northern B.C. protesting the GasLink project is one he attributes more to the influence of outsiders than lack of solidarity between and within Indian communities.

Because of the blockades set up by supporters of the hereditary chiefs who have denounced the GasLink project that all the democratically elected chiefs and the Wet'suwet'en tribal members signed with the GasLink project meant to share profits, employ aboriginals and generally help to lift the communities into financial independence through exploitation of heritage lands, a crisis has arisen where railways, ports, highways and ferries have been shut down while the federal and provincial governments fruitlessly sought discussions with the five hereditary chiefs.

Supporters of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs perform a round dance at a blockade west of Edmonton on Feb. 19.  Jason Franson/The Canadian Press

That twenty First Nations had given their approval to the project, following a decade of discussions between them and the gas line developers to bring a $6.7 billion pipeline into service piping gas to an LNG plant in Kitimat, B.C. has seen provincial and federal police looking for guidance from government on how to proceed against the protest camps. Court injunctions ordering the removal of the camps and the blockades have accomplished nothing, because police have hesitated to act without government approval.

While Mr.Ross points a finger of blame at American interests, he also speaks of environmental organizations originating in the States, whose aim is similar; to shut down any further exploitation of fossil fuels, to challenge the industry by influencing decision making and spurring environmental supporters to campaign to tie both government and industry hands through opposition claiming to speak in support of the rights of Canadian First Nations once again abridged by Canadian corporate interests and foreign investors.

At this juncture there will be no more concerns about the plans of foreign investment in development of Canadian energy resources, among the largest in the world. The current federal government has implemented as many regulations as they can possibly conceive of, to slow down and discourage any such further investments, themselves supporting a green agenda that has effectively shut down the energy sector in Canada.

Anti-pipeline protesters block East Hastings and Clark Drive during the morning rush hour in Vancouver, BC., February 25, 2020 NICK PROCAYLO / PNG

Indigenous Canadian communities have long suffered from social dysfunction, problems such as chronic unemployment, given that they tend to live on remote, sometimes inaccessible traditional lands where there exist no employment opportunities save for those working for band councils. On reserves, people live subsidized lives paid to band councils through general taxation. Substandard housing, poor educational opportunities, and high unemployment complete the trifecta that leads to drug and alcohol abuse, child neglect, and violence within the communities.

Aboriginal children in care represent far greater numbers than their non-Aboriginal counterparts, as do Aboriginals within the prison population, far outweighing their numbers in the general population. Projects such as the GasLink and the recently abandoned Teck mine project in Alberta awaiting affirmation from the federal government that would have rejected the giant billion-dollar mine htat would have given opportunities to First Nations populations have in effect, abandoned First Nations to their plight, consigning them to continue their blighted way of life.

A member of the Mohawk community stands at a rail blockade south of Montreal on the Kahnawake reserve on Feb. 10. The blockade was erected in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs after RCMP arrested people on their territory this month. Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press