Chiefs backing embattled campers in teepee dispute
REGINA With a teepee, a pile of folded blankets and the chiefs of numerous Saskatchewan First Nations behind him, Chief Bobby Cameron pledged to “go the distance” for an embattled protest camp.
From Pheasant Rump, Ochapowace, White Bear and Nekaneet, they came to support the Justice For Our Stolen Children protesters, some of whom spent the night watching over the teepee that has returned to its spot across from the Saskatchewan Legislative Building — days after it was torn down.
“We stand in solidarity and unity with our people,” said Cameron, chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations. He said the FSIN is prepared to do “anything we can do politically ” to help the campers.
That could include seeking an injunction in court, he said, or even his physical presence at the teepee to protect it.
But he’s hoping it won’t come to that. Cameron said he heard from Premier Scott Moe and Justice Minister Don Morgan on Friday — and got a commitment for a meeting he hopes will involve the protesters.
“There is a meeting in the works. … Of course, I will run it by the good folks behind us on how and when,” he said, referring to the protesters.
Moe’s communications director, Jim Billington, confirmed that Moe had committed to a meeting, but only one involving Morgan. The premier, he said, won’t be available.
Morgan addressed reporters in Saskatoon shortly after Cameron ended his remarks in Regina. He said he’s open to working through Cameron or his office to facilitate a resolution. He said he wants to hear what the protesters have to say, though he cautioned that doesn’t mean it will be possible “to come to an accommodation.”
He again stressed the park is not meant for camping, and that an eviction notice is still hanging over the protesters.
“I would have thought it would have been dealt with now,” Morgan said. But, he added, it’s up to the Regina police to make a call on the timing.
“We expect that the law should be complied with and, secondly, we expect that Regina Police Service shall and will ensure that the law is enforced.”
Officials have cited oncoming Canada Day festivities as the reason for the rush in getting rid of the camp.
Morgan said he’s concerned the protesters could be a problem for the beer gardens slated to open right next door.
“I wouldn’t want to see people that have been drinking a lot have to pass through the area where the campers are, where there isn’t proper lighting or anything,” he said.
Protester Prescott Demas said Friday he’s also not sure the teepee and beer gardens will work harmoniously. “I’m really not comfortable with having a bunch of drunken people standing around the teepee while we’re having the sacred fire,” he said.
Demas said there’s room for negotiation on that, and on numerous other issues. He said the protesters are open to compromises. But as of now, they have no plans to leave.
If police return, Demas said they will “deal with that as it happens.”
The camp went up this February in the wake of acquittals for the deaths of Colten Boushie and Tina Fontaine, but protesters evolved to focus on the disproportionate number of First Nations children in care. Their actions have proved divisive, however, attracting angry comments on social media.
That anger came to the gathering of chiefs on Friday. As White Bear Chief Nathan Pasap spoke of the “atrocities since colonization” and the challenges still facing Saskatchewan First Nations, a woman yelled out from her passing vehicle.
“Take it down and get out!” she told them, before raising her middle finger.