First Nation pipeline stake tests stereotypes

You’d think by the 21st century we’d be past any notion that people automatically share political views because of shared ethnic background.

Sure, the world still sees bickering and wars between nations often defined by their ethnicity. But in our nation where we enjoy relative peace, order and good government, do ethnic differences define Canadians’ views?

Evidently, Russia thinks that’s still the case, as per recent Russian media allegations that Canadian foreign policy is somehow dictated by Canadians of Ukrainian descent.

Both the former Stephen Harper Conservative government and the current Justin Trudeau Liberal government have strongly condemned the Vladimir Putin regime’s invasion of Crimea and aggression in Eastern Ukraine, but it has everything to do with the rule of international law and not the influence of historic Ukrainian settlement in Canada.

But maybe Russia gets away with levelling such allegations against Canada because there are those in this country who are still trying to marry political views and ethnicity.

A recent dose of such ethnic politics led to the resignation of Liberal Burnaby South candidate Karen Wang from the byelection race after her ill-advised decision to post on a Metro Vancouver Chinese social media site that she was the only Chinese candidate and that her major opponent, federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, was of Indian descent.

What may have been acceptable in the 1900s is rightly deemed racist today ... although the march away from race-based political thinking is a slow, arduous one. And nowhere in this country is this march slower than when it comes to our perception of how First Nations must collectively think.

Somewhat entrenched in current political views is the notion that because some First Nations protesters oppose pipelines, every single person of First Nation descent opposes pipelines. Even when you factor in that there may be more First Nations people from rural reserve environments or that there maybe be a higher percentage of First Nations people making a living from hunting, trapping, fishing or outfitting, it still remains a stereotype that doesn’t make much sense.

After all, is there any logical reason why First Nations people wouldn’t want good-paying pipeline or oil industry jobs, too?

For that reason, it’s important to hear what former Thunderchild First Nation chief Delbert Wapass and others are saying about a potential First Nations purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline.

“I believe there will be a time when we all come together and a time when the coalition will hopefully be built,” Wapass told the Calgary Herald’s Chris Varcoe in a recent column about Project Reconciliation — a group of Western First Nations supportive of the oil sector and pipelines that are now seeking to secure a majority share of Trans Mountain.

Admittedly, a First Nations acquisition of the $4.5-billion pipeline purchased by Ottawa last May is fraught with problems, including the basic economics and even Bill C-69 that imposes stricter environmental regulations.

But Project Reconciliation is a collective effort of First Nations (many of which already have substantial oil development interests on their land) backed by industry heavyweights and various governments for specific reasons.

It also addresses something missing from the visuals of Gidimt’en clan protesters getting arrested at the LNG pipeline in B.C. — that there has long been a diverse view of pipeline development even within the First Nations community. If anything, First Nations ownership of Trans Mountain could ease worries of First Nations protesters and other environmentalists.

“Honestly, I think there is a bit of a win there for the federal government,” said NDP Alberta Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd in Varcoe’s column.

What may be even bigger right now is flipping this conversation so that people begin to recognize First Nations People are also strong supporters of resource development and the jobs that it tends to bring.

We need to get away from stereotypes suggesting your ethnic background always dictates your views on matters. It’s last-century thinking.