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Thanks for Wet'suwet'en column

Thank you to Gerry Chidiac for his thoughtful column, Standing with the Wet’suwet’en.
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Thank you to Gerry Chidiac for his thoughtful column, Standing with the Wet’suwet’en. I should also like to register my support for the Wet’suwet’en and thank them for taking a strong stand against Coastal Gaslink pushing their pipeline through their territory without their permission. It is time our governments, both federal and provincial, took notice of peoples’ concerns regarding Indigenous rights as well as environmental concerns. 

The provincial government signed UNDRIP but this obviously means nothing to them if they are determined to run the province on LNG, obtained from fracking, regardless of the concerns of Indigenous people whose land the pipeline would run through.

The Green caucus voted against the LNG project and Adam Olsen, interim leader, visited the Wet’suwet’en and the hereditary chiefs but there are not enough Green MLAs to shake the government from its stance. The Liberal opposition supports the LNG project anyway.

The federal government promised to meet the climate goals yet bought the TransMountain pipeline and is now desperate to push it through, in spite of the enormous and escalating economic costs, let alone the huge environmental costs. This pipeline would vastly increase the crude oil exports across the ocean. Let’s hope they don’t approve the Teck mine, which would really make a mockery of any attempt to meet our climate goals.

Protests are taking place across our country in support of the Wet’suwet’en. Thank you to all the Indigenous people who are standing up for their rights and in so doing are exposing the governments’ lack of integrity. Many of us stand with them and wish we had the courage to stand up to power. This is our democratic right and should be honoured as such. Peaceful protest is essential and the Wet’suwet’en have ensured their protests are peaceful.

Linda Rempel’s column reviewing Theatre North West’s production, Isitwendam: (An Understanding), also echoed my sentiments after seeing this excellent production. Meegwun Fairbrother was outstanding and this play was so timely in helping us to understand our history. Isitwendam spoke to my heart in a way that just words could not have done. The artistic production was so beautiful and the message so powerful. This play certainly deepened my understanding of Indigenous history and the effect of colonization. I came away wishing that everyone in Prince George could see this. 

It is so timely now with the Wet’suwet’en standing up for their rights on their unceded territory.  Don’t miss your chance to see this powerful production. It is on at Theatre NorthWest until Feb. 23

Hilary Crowley

 

Summit Lake