Pierre Eliot Trudeau advanced individual rights by enshrining them in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It is these individual rights that have started the convoy of truckers descending on Ottawa. The trucking convoy refuses the vaccine mandate, arguing that they have sovereignty of body. This is individual thinking.
What is sad about this action is the First Nation people who are standing with this convoy. For some unknown reason, First Nations think that these miracle truckers will take their concerns forward.
The truckers are crying out saying, freedom and cursing the federal government. This is where our First Nation people are falling prey to surface values and messages.
Yes, First Nations have been seeking freedom from the tyranny of the federal government’s hold over our people. The restrictions that have brought harm to our people as a result of the Indian Act, have been in place for about one hundred and fifty years.
Why would a convoy of truckers succeed where our own leaders have failed?
And yes, I understand that we need to have some accountability from our leaders but this is the situation. We have “leaders” elected under the Indian Act regulations who answer to their funders – the Department of Indian Affairs or Indigenous Services Canada. Each election, these politicians speak their best rhetoric and hope to convince voters to secure them for one more year while they “battle with Indian affairs”. This does not appear to be the case.
Our Indian and Northern Affairs “leaders”, the INAC leaders are about conning the people while dancing for federal funding. Some First Nations do have stronger voices based on natural resources or location, but for the most part, First Nations and the grassroots on reserve are at the mercy of the federal government.
How can this change?
We hear the cry for unity but First Nations across Canada can only speak to general concerns then they must articulate their own positions. We have different kinds of First Nations that may or may not have international treaties, inherent rights, modern day treaties or other agreements. These differences call for specific solutions.
Canada cannot understand this because one white person is much like another. They are in this life for themselves. They value their autonomy and freedom. They do not care for their fellow man. It is this mentality that continues seeks to paint the First Nation Indigenous, Metis, and Inuit with the same brush. These three Indigenous groups are different. Then within the First Nations or six hundred plus reserves in Canada there are marked differences.
Canada, Trudeau and his lackey appointed First Nation voices continue to mislead the Canadian public about this phenomenon. This is the problem not understood by Canadians and worse it is not understood or accepted at the reserve level. In the case happening in British Colombia, the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en were involved in the first title case since the Calder (Nisga’a) case in 1973. Delgamuukw established that the hereditary chiefs were the rightful “title” holders to the land. But this case was held up due to procedural reasons.
Since this time there has been a struggle over this land. It cannot be resolved without an understanding of the failings of the federal government and court system. How would a convoy of truckers convey something to Trudeau on this matter?
The truckers talked tough going across Canada, only to avoid traditional Haudenosaunee territory when they came closer to Ottawa. How can truckers avoid a First Nation when they are purporting to uphold “Every Child Matters” and other First Nation concerns?
It is our own people the First Nations who are misinformed. Our people have been brainwashed, harmed and had their tribal identity beaten out of them. Through the residential schools, our family and clan systems became obsolete as children were kidnapped, used as free labour and subject to all manners of mistreatment. These beaten children returned to their reserves broken and unable to parent or face the demons and mental anguish that had taken up their time in residential school. If that wasn’t enough, First Nation children were further demoralized with the child welfare’s infamous 60’s scoop. The break from the community was complete. Individualism and survival replaced tribal affiliation and the responsibilities to the larger group as a whole.
This is the mentality that is currently standing with the trucker convoy going east. The First Nations who say they support this movement talk about personal or body sovereignty instead of being born into a First Nation for specific reason. The goal of Duncan Campbell Scott is playing out. First Nations have forgotten who they are and Canada has managed to take the Indian out of the child.
Our people think like individuals. Our people do not see the value of preserving our sacred spaces left on our small reserve plots. They are busy – clapping and stomping in mainstream churches, tents or halls and thinking about the one time pay they can receive for selling the land.
Our people infight, they compete with each other backstabbing and exercising lateral violence because they have forgotten that each person is born for a purpose. The survival of the band depends on acknowledging and nurturing each person and their contribution to their people.
Our First Nations no longer remember this. They no longer think in their languages. They no longer dream in their languages. Instead, our First Nations are influenced by individuality and the immediacy of need right now. This prophecy was foretold to our people, that one day our own people would break the treaty.
Is that day happening now? Is this the breakdown of who we are as people when our own people are free riding off a convoy of people displaying swastikas and confederate flags? The plan to break our people from our collective and spiritual strengths is certain when we have our own people standing with white supremacists, thinking that fighting the government as a cling on of truckers is somehow helpful.
