‘Race war’ comment draws ire for Manitoba premier
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister is being criticized for saying young indigenous men with criminal records are responsible for night hunting and are fuelling a “race war.”
“Young indigenous men — a preponderance of them are offenders, with criminal records — are going off shooting guns in the middle of the night,” Maclean’s magazine quotes Pallister as saying from his vacation home in Costa Rica. “It doesn’t make sense.” His comments came after a speech he made last week in which he said tension surrounding night hunting is leading to a “race war.”
“Young indigenous guys going out and shootin’ a bunch of moose ’cause they can, ’cause they say it’s their right, doesn’t make any sense to me,” he said in the speech.
“This is a poor practice. A dumb practice ... It should stop.
“So what are we doing? We’re organizing to bring indigenous people together and say the same thing I just said to ya, ’cause it’s becoming a race war and I don’t want that.”
NDP l egislature member Amanda Lathlin said the premier’s comments are ignorant and feed into a dangerous stereotype of indigenous people. “Those comments were racist and irresponsible,” said Lathlin. “He did not consult or talk to our hunters in that community. That conversation is absolutely missing.”
A spokesperson for Pallister did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sustainable Development Minister Cathy Cox met this week with reeves from several communities in western Manitoba who are pushing for a ban on indigenous night hunting. She said the government plans to bring both sides to the table to try to work out an agreement.
Non- indigenous hunters are banned from hunting at night. Indigenous hunters are allowed — supported by a Supreme Court of Canada ruling — subject to safety restrictions.
Lathlin said hunting has a long-standing and revered place in indigenous culture, as does sharing the proceeds with the community. For indigenous people, hunting is about livelihood, not sport, she said.
“Here I am, an aboriginal woman raising my daughters to feel pride within our culture, and yet we have the leader of Manitoba taking a step backwards in regards to who we are as people. What kind of leadership is that?”