Canadian Politics Today

If we're dealing with them their politics is our business, just like internal US politics is our business.  That doesn't mean we should interfere with their politics.   But it's in our interests to know who and what we're dealing with.  There's nothing colonial or oppressive about that.

It's just the same old colonial tactic of interfering in their politics, "picking their Indians" and sowing divisions in their communities to suit corporate and government FINANCIAL purpose, well described here:
https://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/op-ed/island-voices-fess-up-mr-horgan-you-picked-your-indians-1.24081392?utm_campaign=magnet


When the British Columbia Treaty Process was established in the 1990s, a First Nation’s Statement of Intent included the identification of who would represent the First Nation at the treaty table.

Both the federal and provincial government accepted the Office of the Wet’suwet’en, the body representing the hereditary chiefs, as the entity with the authority to negotiate the rights and title of the Wet’suwet’en people.

Now, because the chiefs with the sacred responsibility to steward their house territories for their people are not prepared to permit infringement of those rights and title, the corporation and government found their Indians in the elected band system and Bob’s your uncle — they claim they have consent.

Horgan and his government are trying to ride two horses at the same time. They’ve accepted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, they’ve committed to reconciliation with First Nations, they’ve claimed to be committed to protect British Columbia’s priceless environments, all the while, shamelessly infringing on Aboriginal rights and title, fracking, damming, and further alienating those with whom they claim to be reconciling.

Fess up, Horgan. You can claim the LNG project and Site C are essential for the future of British Columbia — there are many knowledgeable people willing to debate you on that, but you cannot claim legitimate consent from the Wet’suwet’en.

You’ve picked your Indians and the current outrage across the country is justified.


Even more recently, clad in a gift 'blanket', swollen with pride at passing UNDRIP into law in BC:

BC NDP  Premier John Horgan, December 2019:
""Let's sit down *with the title holders* whose land we want to conduct economic activity on and create partnerships as a way forward. That works," "

But a month later when Wet'suet'en "title holders", objected to not being consulted by the Crown in BC, Horgan refused to talk to them:

BC NDP  Premier John Horgan,
January 2020:
 "Wet'suwet'en territory ... telling CBC he wasn't going to "drop everything I'm doing to come running when someone is saying they need to speak with me."
...
"the rule of law needs to prevail in B.C." to ensure work continues on the 670-km pipeline, "

'Picking his Indians', for each purpose.

Understanding Indigenous politics is good.
Manipulating, denigrating, dividing ... interfering ... is not.
Wet'suet'en people will make their own choices, come together in their own ways.
It is our business to make sure our governments respect Indigenous governance.
It is reprehensible to do as you are and set one against another.

That's old style colonial Canadian genocidal tactics - "intent to destroy".
It's not the way forward.

As Times Colonist says:
the current outrage across the country is justified.

And it is not just Indigenous people who are outraged. Many Canadians are also outraged that Liberal and NDP governments, expected to do better by their own supporters, are still not dealing 'in good faith' with Indigenous Peoples.