Thread by @sunnshiiny

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party Yep. I’m not stretching the truth. Through the action of Confederation, boundaries were drawn on a map and indigenous land title was extinguished. Delgamuukw Decision ruled that title was never actually extinguished because indigenous in BC weren’t conquered & did not cede title.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party Had the court assigned land title to Wet’suwet’en, every other indigenous community could step forward and claim traditional territory and its land title. Meaning BC exists on paper only.

Land title was never extinguished in BC.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party It’s a peculiarity to BC. Indigenous people never ceded the land and a treaty with the Crown was never established.

Confederation “legally” transferred land title to the crown and they divided up the land and sold it.

British Columbians are squatters on indigenous land.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party Most Canadians don’t understand the transfer of land was illegal, in British Common Law. The land was never ceded. Indigenous continued to live on their traditional territories. While Europeans moved in and set up shop.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party Title is not in question. The indigenous people continue to hold title. But the courts avoid assigning title to indigenous people because it would put confederation into question. It would cause a constitutional crisis.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party People moved to BC and bought land from the Crown, who had no legal claim to the land, except for the act of confederation.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party What the SCOC did was provide a test to decide title. A hoop to jump through. If you can’t jump through the hoop, then you don’t have land title.

That test protects established urban centres and farm land. But Wet’suwet’en is neither.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party The provincial BC govt has been trying since confederation to arrange for indigenous to cede land. Several tracts of land have been transferred “legally” through provincial legislation.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party When Europeans (namely British) came to North America they claimed the land was unoccupied. About 30M indigenous people lived in territory known as Canada. Terra Nuillius did not apply. Indigenous are people. They just weren’t considered as such at confederation.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party That’s the crux of this protest. The province contracted with band chiefs, who are not the authority governing unceded territory, but the Indian Act assigned governance system for reserves.

Again, a legal trick to force ceding of indigenous land title for the pipeline.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party The BC government, more than anyone, knows who the appropriate authority is to consult and seek approval. But the rest of Canada does not. Thus the appeal to democratic rights of indigenous in Wet’suwet’en.

They knew they were obtaining an illegal approval.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party That’s the rage and animosity you see from indigenous in Wet’suwet’en.

They didn’t block the pipeline. They were willing to negotiate an alternate route.

But it’s about money and profits.

The alternate route would mean a smaller pipe diameter and less product capacity.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party So the corporation lobbied for and won provincial compliance. Even though the province is mandated with the duty to protect land title and rights under section 35 of the constitution, they skirted that responsibility by contracting with band chiefs.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party Most Canadians don’t know the difference, so there is a spin campaign to gain favour from the public over democratic principles. And it’s all disinformation.

That’s what Hereditary Chiefs are protesting. That’s what sympathetic indigenous groups are standing in solidarity for.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party Canada was created by “legal” theft of land.

Many think that was in the past, so we should all just let it go and start anew. That’s not the reconciliation indigenous seek.

Canadian mainstream doesn’t realize indigenous are not willing to let it go.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party People came here and stole the land. Forced indigenous into abject poverty for generations. Forced indigenous people to “legally” cede their land in perpetuity for the privilege of being housed on reserves so they wouldn’t starve. Some of them starved anyways.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party It’s been a continued assault on BC indigenous FN who never ceded their title since confederation.

It’s been established that land title was never ceded.

But indigenous do not benefit, or only nominally benefit, from the natural resources that are harvested on their land.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party It’s finally come to the attention of mainstream Canadians that indigenous people have been swindled out of title and profits that mainstream Canada has reaped by appropriating BC land in the act of confederation.

The BC FN are not going to back down.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party Their claim is legal and has the potential to create a constitutional crisis.

Is BC indigenous territory or Canadian territory.

Those fighting this battle are the subsection of FN who want to cede from Canada. So there can be no further attempts to steal their land.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party Some of them are quite militant and want all land title reestablished. Meaning urban centres and farm land as well.

Some of the most militant want to expel all squatters, i.e. everyone who isn’t a BC FN status indigenous person. That means Métis and non status FN as well.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party This is why I had severe reservations about UNDRIP. Because that legislation could very well transfer land title to FN in BC.

And guess what. BC just approved its own UNDRIP legislation.

Most FN just want to protect their territory. But some want radical change.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party Those that want radical change are supporting one of two agendas. Cession from Canada, or ceding all territory to cash in on Fossil Fuel profits.

That is the current squabble within the FN indigenous community in BC.

That’s what they mean by reconciliation.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party It was never a plea to just get along better. It has always been about land title and the economic benefits that accompany land possession.

Now that agenda is out in the open. Cons are trying to divert attention from it because they seek to have all title ceded.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party NDP seek to return land title because it fits with their agenda for left libertarianism. Which is essentially collective property ownership. Everyone gets a share of the profits.

That’s why Singh is diverting focus onto PM Trudeau, loading blame and smearing LPC.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party The federal NDP UNDRIP legislation proposed this situation. It also proposed that all FN would be able to seek compensation for the land that was transferred through treaties. And it left open the option for title to be returned to all FN in Canada.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party Meaning Canada wouldn’t be Canada anymore. It would be over 600 small nations with varying governance models. Or it would remain as one unit, but an annual squatters fee would be given to all FN indigenous as a form of “rent.”

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party It’s undeniable that indigenous land title exists. This is why the courts have never defined it and created a hoop to jump through to establish land title.

Cons intend to bribe their way through indigenous land title if it’s established. Their only caveat was FPIC.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party They didn’t want Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) to be legislated, because it would give FN the option of saying no (a veto).

FN want FPIC to maintain leverage and maximize their negotiating position.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party This was the reason for Atlas Network and Macdonald Laurier Institute partnership. An indoctrination campaign to sell the benefits of free market ideology to FN.

I’ve circulated the case study published on Atlas Network website quite a few times.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party Anathema to FN traditional belief system, adoption of free market ideology facilitates much easier negotiating or cons, if FN gain UNDRIP rights. Which it looks like they will.

With new values for profits over land protection, FN are in a good position to escape poverty.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party But at what cost?

Several FN are more than willing to take prosperity over poverty. These communities will not block Fossil Fuels. Most will gladly pocket the profits.

At the moment, it is Traditional Hereditary Chiefs who are advocating for pristine land preservation.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party They aren’t seeking to block the pipeline. They are seeking to block the pipeline from pristine land that’s never been disturbed.

Cons have done their homework and prepped the communities for this constitutional crisis.

How it’s resolved is unknown.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party But at the very least these are the facts:

*FN have established land title exists and was never ceded in B.C.

*Some FN want cesession from Canada and are aligned with Libertarian ideology (both right and left libertarianism), & this aligned with CPC or NDP political parties.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party * Some of those right and left libertarian FN are behind the blockades

* Others just want to protect territory and aren’t seeking cessation from Canada. They just want their rights recognized and respected.

* At the moment it’s difficult to discern who is who.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party * Many of BC and AB FN and Métis have adopted free market ideology and stand to benefit from Conservative plans for unfettered Fossil Fuel development.

* The FN who have adopted free market ideology are the majority in western Canada. Many support Wexit in BC, AB & SK.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party * UCP just created the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC) to aid indigenous communities to invest in energy. Kenney just transferred $1B to assist indigenous to purchase equity in energy sector.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party * In Alberta, indigenous communities can invest in green energy through AIOC. But the corporation can lend to indigenous outside of AB. The caveat is it must be in Fossil Fuels in order to access the funds.

@HopeAldridge @rhuibers1 @JulieYAli @theJagmeetSingh @JustinTrudeau @jjhorgan @rcmpgrcpolice @liberal_party Those are the facts.

I’ve been trying to communicate many of these facts for well over a year.

Conservatives, with the assistance of hardline socialist in NDP, have engineered a constitutional crisis.

Get ready for a bumpy political environment.