'Tis the season of Truth and Reconciliation.
Alas, the truth seems to be that provincial politicians don't yet appear to grasp the principles of reconciliation they so enthusiastically proselytize.
Reconciliation is about inclusion, not exclusion.
Yet even as officials planned ceremonies involving touring Royals and top officials from Canada and British Columbia during a visit to Bella Bella later in September, local government was told there was no place for it among the high muckymucks from Buckingham Palace, Ottawa and Victoria.
And so, as various protocol teams made preparations for the coming visit to the Great Bear Rainforest by Prince William, who is the Queen's envoy, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is her first minister, Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon and Premier Christy Clark, the province snubbed one of the few governments which actually claims First Nations as the majority of its elected officials.
Alison Sayers, chair of the Central Coast Regional District, the democratically elected government for the southern half of the Great Bear Rainforest, confirmed the premier's office told her it "just can't find a role for you" in ceremonies welcoming Prince William and his wife Catherine (the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge), plus their two young children.
There was a role for a Bella Bella chief and elders.
There was no place for local government, even if the majority of its elected members represented First Nations.
Sixty-five per cent of Central Coast Regional District citizens are First Nations. These include not only Heiltsuk from Bella Bella, but Nuxalk from Bella Coola Valley and Wuikinuxv from around Rivers Inlet.
The district extends from the Kitlope Heritage Conservation Area in the north to Rivers Inlet in the south and from near Anahim Lake to the offshore islands of the Outer Coast.
Four of the five directors elected to the local government responsible for about 25,000 square kilometres of a region declared the "jewel in the crown" of Canada's protected landscape are First Nations.
Sayers is chair. The other directors are Reg Moody, who is Heiltsuk; Richard Hall, who is Nuxalk; Sam Schooner who is Nuxalk; and Frank Johnson, sitting as an appointed alternate director pending a byelection in early October. Johnson is Wuikinuxv.
We've been down this path before.
Not so long ago, Transportation Minister Todd Stone and the provincial government had to do a humiliating climb-down after snubbing coastal communities and First Nations asking government to fix the economic disaster caused when the province destroyed tourist capacity for the Central Coast by replacing a 115-car ferry with a 15-car ferry with unworkable sailing times.
It took intervention by Premier Clark to wipe that egg off Stone's face.
Will somebody now warn the premier that the empress is once again wearing no clothes before it blows up into another needless public relations disaster?
Sayers patiently explains why the regional district should be part of the ceremonies.
"A decision not to include the Central Coast Regional District in every aspect of this event may put the province and perhaps other orders of government as well in the position of increasing the divide between First Nations and local government," she warns.
"When all the representatives from all the other orders of government board their planes to head back home, it is local government officials like myself who will remain, who will continue to do the very challenging on-the-ground work of reconciliation and who will be living with the fallout of a decision not to include us."
The premier's protocol office was unmoved, Sayers said.
"I'm sorry," she said she was told, "we just can't find a role for you."
Who was "we?" Not at liberty to say.
What about just standing with other government leaders?
"No."
Attend the press conference? "No, the room is too small."
"I have no idea why, but it's clear to me that the premier's office does not want local government representation at the event."
Sayers remains hopeful. Having found the province intractable, she was trying the prime minister's office.
"The federal B.C. Liberal caucus and the PM's office have so far been much more helpful."
Whatever the outcome, a question remains, why would the province want to exclude local government when there's so little to gain and so much to lose by being petty?
