Thread by @sunnshiiny

I’d like people to see this article.

Over two years ago it was published. But it speaks to the current political environment in Canada.

What possesses an indigenous woman to attempt to destroy reconciliation?

https://twitter.com/bohemianww/status/1102588288555085824

Greed. It’s always greed.

Indigenous people are no less susceptible to greed than any other cultural group. To believe otherwise is racist and condescending.

In Canada, most people know of two distinct indigenous groups. First Nations and Inuit.

Many assume Métis are part of First Nation’s communities.

But we aren’t. Métis are a distinct indigenous ethnic group completely separate from First Nations.

The easiest way to describe the differences between FN & Métis is to compare them to modern day Kurds.

Kurds are indigenous to the Middle East. Long persecuted by more dominant cultural groups also indigenous to the region. While Kurds main difference from Muslim and Christian groups indigenous to the region is religion, that’s not the main difference between Métis & FN.

Our main difference is treaty status and recognition by the federal government.

The federal government removed all land title from Métis people in the 19th and early 20th century using scrip. The Métis community has a different but just as devastating history.

When Louis Riel and Métis people were forced to leave the Red River Valley after negotiating Manitoba’s entrance into confederation, they moved mainly west. Settling in Saskatchewan & Alberta, North Eastern BC and southern NWT. Some moved to N. Dakota or Montana in US territory.

Métis were stripped of any future land claims by forcing Métis whose economy and land base had been removed to accept scrip or $100 to remove their claim to title. Most, starving & destitute, took the $100 immediately or within a few years. It’s all documented.

There’s no dispute this is what happened.

What it means is that the Métis nation was unrecognized, unsupported by the federal government and forgotten. Métis were expected to assimilate and adopt second class citizenship since they were visibly different than dominant culture.

Métis received all the racism and discrimination, but no treaty rights or recognition from the federal government. Until the Supreme Court of Canada decision affirming Métis as indigenous people and qualification for section 35 of the Constitution treaty status in 2016.

Yes. That means the ONLY iteration of the federal government to recognize Métis and non-status First Nations in the entire history of Canada is the current Liberal govt. An accord formally recognizing the Métis Nation was signed in 2017.

How many Canadians are aware of that?

The federal governments of the past have divided and created infighting as a strategy to diminish effective political power.

Many with ulterior motives continue to foment divisions. Some within the First Nations community itself.

An additional 700,000 federally recognized people means further divisions of federal funding and additional voices at the negotiation table. Which is exactly what derailed the Indigenous Framework negotiations in 2018, mere weeks before JWR made her SNC-Lavelin accusations.

The fact Canadians usually ignore indigenous issues means it’s easy to redirect public attention to manufactured scandals.

Just like JWR did recently in her false accusations of Caroline Bennett and racism and misogyny. Bennett did call her greedy, but not because she’s FN.

The indigenous framework being developed in consultation with representatives from FN, Inuit and Métis people was brought to a halt by a faction of First Nations (& a few Métis) who want the entire constitution removed. In December 2018.

How many know this?

How many know the tensions between JWR and Minister Bennett were visibly palpable within the Liberal caucus and exacerbated by Minister Philpott siding with JWR and dividing the caucus along progressive and federalist lines?

What has the Liberal government always supported? A unified federation. That has never varied. In 154 years. Not once.

LPC admits the atrocities in the history of Canada, and the party’s culpability in those atrocities.

However, it’s 2015 mandate did NOT include dismantling of a unified Canadian federation to accommodate some indigenous people’s demands for self determination, a nation to nation relationship and the power to negate federal recognition of an additional 700,000 indigenous people.

Because that’s what the current issues are. Not what they’ve been politically spun to be by opposition partisan politicos and people who stand to financially benefit from a narrow definition of First Nations reconciliation and land title.

Want proof? Easily provided.

Some First Nations balked at a map of traditional Métis territory. Making it clear Metis do not possess land title by many FN restricting the right to FN only.

Identity politics to limit Métis identity are attempts to limit numbers. Including by Métis.

cbc.ca/news/indigenou…

Conflict with Caroline Bennett are long standing.

Some FN demand LPC govt abandon federation & allow multiple FNs to constitutionally separate from federalism. They also ignore the Métis.

That’s what’s meant by self determination & nation to nation.

cbc.ca/news/indigenou…

This representative of Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre, firmly requested adoption of UNDRIP to permit changing the Canadian Constitution, permanently altering rights & freedoms of FN indigenous people and all other citizens.

cbc.ca/news/indigenou…

PM does represent all Canadians in nation to nation negotiations. But it is not widely accepted or known that some FN essentially want a form of secession from Canadian laws and rights legislation & for Feds to ignore Métis.

Meaning an end to Canadian federation & unity.

This speech was given by JWR before it was public she was moving to Veterans Affairs. But she knew. The PM and Gerald Butts knew.

She had been asked to assume Indigenous Services but refused. She wasn’t fired. She was moved to VA for insubordination.

canada.ca/en/department-…

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission documented an attempt to destroy First Nations people that nearly succeeded.

A heinous act by a culpable government. Both conservative and liberal parties share responsibility.

This is Canadian history.

But this was by no means the only attempt to destroy indigenous peoples in Canada.

Canada needs to come to terms with its past & develop a new relationship with all indigenous; FN, Métis & Inuit.

But that’s not the agenda of some who are seeking the end of Canada as a nation.

And an end to Canada IS the agenda.

Decolonization? That means removing any and all European and other external cultural influence from Canada in its legal system. Which includes Métis, since we are a blend of indigenous & European cultural values and beliefs.

This is a Policy Brief from the time frame when Bennett and Trudeau were still negotiating an Indigenous Policy Framework.

This is the belief that completely halted those efforts.

yellowheadinstitute.org/wp-content/upl…

For some FN, Decolonization means Canada moves aside to allow for FN to take over governance & decision making.

Meaning only FN and associated supporters would have a say how Canada is governed.

Only FN would determine who is a FN citizen or not. DNA would not be the determining factor. Denying identity and inclusion in communities has historical precedent related to funding. But sure, it’s only the Indian Act, not the consideration of financial implications.

Excluding non-status FN and Métis from indigenous status goes back several decades. And it wasn’t just the federal government who insisted on limiting official recognition.

Traditionally, indigenous peoples don’t believe anyone owns the land. It belongs to everyone & no one.

But left libertarians and right libertarians focus on property rights.

That’s how I know there is outside influence. Land title and competition for claim to a region is not the traditional way. No one owns Mother Earth.

As soon as indigenous property ownership became a well known issue, indigenous people stepped out of the shadows. Métis doubled in size. FN by 1/3.

But denying the existence and validity of another indigenous nation is not a solution to fake indigenous identity claims.

Neither is the obstruction of the Indigenous Rights Policy Framework to negate 700,000 people’s opportunity to define reconciliation.

Yet here we are.

A nation grieves over TRC report and location of unmarked graves. And so they should.

But the push to restrict a First Nation centric definition of indigenous identity and reconciliation is also implicit in the rush to define the TRC recommendations as the only actions required for reconciliation.

Three opposition parties mention Métis nominally and in passing in their policies.

Only LPC has acknowledged Métis and Métis rights.

Is there a turf war? Yes.

And I’m getting really pissed off about being the forgotten people once again.

If you plan to vote for an opposition party to specifically support indigenous people, you’re siding with a faction of FN who seek to exclude Métis from reconciliation and limit who qualifies to be Métis based on FN criteria.

If you don’t believe me, consult the definition of indigenous people in party policies and platforms. Ask the indigenous people you associate with, share tweets or just follow.

Canadians better start paying attention to indigenous issues.

If you fear CPC’s desire to carve up the nation and become a republic, or NDP anarchists abandonment of federal legitimacy, you should understand both those rely on a narrow definition of FN reconciliation.