Ministers ’available’ to meet Wet’suwet’en chiefs but chiefs won’t be there
Credit to Author: The Canadian Press| Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2020 01:43:09 +0000
Canada’s minister in charge of Indigenous relations is making a bid to meet with Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs, but with leaders among those chiefs en route to meet supporters in Ontario, the likelihood of such a meeting seems low.
The opposition by the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs to a natural gas pipeline has seized the economy as protesters blockade roads and railways in several parts of Canada.
Carolyn Bennett said in an open letter Wednesday that she and her B.C. counterpart, Scott Fraser, will be available in northern B.C. as early as Thursday to meet with any of the hereditary chiefs who might be willing to talk.
“We understand that you have urgent issues to resolve and require dedicated attention from both levels of government to work with you in charting a peaceful path forward,” the letter says. “We are more than willing to find any mutually acceptable process with you and the Wet’suwet’en Nation to sit down and address the urgent and long-term issues at hand.”
The letter said the ministers understand many of the chiefs may not be available in Smithers, and the ministers commit to returning when they will be there.
Na’moks, one of the hereditary house chiefs who lead the First Nation under the traditional form of governance, said four of his fellow hereditary chiefs were heading to Mohawk territory Wednesday to thank members of the First Nation for their solidarity, while he attends a funeral.
They remain unwilling to meet with the ministers until the RCMP and pipeline builder Coastal GasLink pull out of the traditional territory, he said.
“Remove RCMP from our territory, remove (Coastal GasLink) from our territory, and we’ll have discussions, because right now that puts us under duress. You can’t have free and open discussions if you’re under duress,” Na’moks, who also goes by John Ridsdale, said.
Na’moks said he’s not concerned that the chiefs might miss a window of opportunity for dialogue with the federal government.
“We’ve been here for thousands of years,” he said. “It’s their timeline, it’s not ours.”
RCMP said in a statement Tuesday the force is aware of the request for a small mobile detachment to leave a remote area of British Columbia and discussions are underway on next steps. The detachment is where Mounties recently arrested 28 people when officers enforced an injunction on behalf of Coastal GasLink.
Most officers have left the area since the RCMP said its major operations in the region had concluded, but they’ve said the mobile unit would remain in place and they’ll continue “patrols of the corridor to ensure everyone’s safety.”