Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Kingston Whig-Standard
Editorial - Canada's First Nations suffer serious problems. Bad water, bad health, low incomes - these are only the beginning.
But should this lamentable state of affairs give aboriginals a moral pass on good behaviour? Should they get to show their displeasure with their lot by resorting to violence or threats of violence?
The answer, one hopes, is no. Perhaps we will find out on Friday.
That's the day aboriginals have tapped as a national "day of action" to bring attention to the plight of Canada's native people. And that plight is grim indeed. Half of aboriginal people in Ontario smoke, a much higher rate than for the rest of the population. Alcohol and binge drinking are at critical levels, and obesity and diabetes plague many. Suicide rates are abysmally high, and domestic violence scars aboriginal families. The land claims process - until recently, "process" was a generous word - has seemed moribund.
So aboriginals, including a dissident group from among the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, are toying with the notion of blockading highways and maybe the CN rail line, if CN has the temerity to actually run trains that day. Some non-natives in the Kingston area say they may wander onto the Via tracks, which presumably would bring any passenger traffic to a halt. Algonquins in the Ardoch area plan to block the entrance to a proposed uranium mine.
Each act would be both illegal and an act of violence, though the organizers feel that through coy use of language they can disguise this. Shawn Brant, the agent provocateur of the Mohawk dissidents, says his group is simply engaging in a day of "economic disruption." He notes that if trains aren't running, well, he won't try to shut them down. The implication, of course, is that if they are - which is CN's right under the law - there will be trouble.
The same implication is contained in a plan by some Kingston-area protesters. "I assume there will be some members who will choose to stand on the tracks" at the Via Rail station, notes spokesman Jeff Welsh. He suggests this will be harmless since trains won't be coming into the station. But if they are - again, Via's right under the law - then the implication is the situation could get out of hand.
The Ardoch Algonquins are calling their blockade of the uranium company's front gate a "vigil." But spokesman Bob Lovelace adds it will continue "until the uranium mine shuts down one way or another." That, too, is a threat of violence.
The question remains: Does a rough break in life entitle members of Canada's First Nations to make threats and carry them out unless others react in a docile fashion?
First Nations people have endured a great deal, but they have no monopoly on misery. Many other Canadians, too, are poor, unhealthy and treated unfairly. Would we condone these tactics from them to publicize their cause? No.
Canadians instinctively admire what they have learned about aboriginal history. When educated about the modern-day grievances of First Nations, they sympathize. The plight of native people can be changed and improved lawfully. Indeed, it must be done this way if public opinion is to stay on the side of justice for the downtrodden.
A day of action that respects the law - and the rights of both native and non-native - is the best means to that end.