Wilson-raybould powerful voice for First Nations
The road to the upcoming general election just got rougher for the Liberals. The report from the federal ethics commissioner confirms what most people already knew: that the prime minister and his staff repeatedly put pressure on then-attorney general Jody Wilson-raybould to interfere with the criminal prosecution of Quebec construction company Snc-lavalin.
They wanted Wilson-raybould to overturn the decision of the office of public prosecutions to proceed with criminal charges instead of offering a “remediation agreement.” This would have provided Snc-lavalin with a slap on the wrist instead of a criminal trial with a dubious outcome.
So now the political leaders are in a feeding frenzy. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is calling the Trudeau-led government corrupt. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh agrees with the Tories that an emergency meeting of the ethics committee should be held with federal Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion in attendance.
But lost in all the political feeding frenzy is the Wilson-raybould, who originally stood up to the onslaught and maintained her principles. Dion’s report exonerates her and Jane Philpott who both lost their positions in cabinet and were kicked out of the Liberal caucus.
This news is one more nail in the coffin for the Liberals. But before we break out the champagne, consider the alternative. Scheer is a Harper clone with dimples and about as much credibility in Indian country. The Harper years were bleak in Indian country, budgets remained stagnant in spite of a growing First Nations population and the government was taken to the Human Rights Tribunal and lost over its funding of First Nations child welfare.
The Conservatives’ negative approach was evident again this spring when Conservative senators failed to allow passage of a motion from the House of Commons to recognize and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
A year ago, at an Assembly of First Nations (AFN) chief’s assembly, Scheer was booed for refusing to state his policy on First Nations and for admitting he would follow the policies initiated by the Harper government. This year, Scheer didn’t attend the assembly and instead sent Indigenous Affairs critic Cathy Mcleod in his place.
Wilson-raybould stands to be a powerful voice for First Nations whether she wins her seat in Vancouver Granville or not. Some say an independent has little or no voice in Parliament, but Parliament isn’t the only platform for a person of her stature.
She has the potential to be a powerful voice outside Parliament and, within Parliament, she can be an unfiltered voice for First Nations rights and jurisdiction. Up until now, all the parties have not taken a First Nations stance on issues. Platforms are always couched in language that reflects the colonial nature of successive federal and provincial governments.
Wilson-raybould has reformed the federal approach to negotiations with First Nations to include rights, jurisdiction and Crown responsibility.
The AFN has become a moribund product of neo-colonialism. When the Snc-lavalin scandal broke and a First Nations woman was forced out of the cabinet, AFN Chief Perry Bellegarde stated that he didn’t want any “distractions,” preferring to focus on the legislative agenda. He later said he was “saddened” by her departure.
So now the First Nations moral authority is coming from outside First Nations organizations. Members of Parliament like Romeo Saganash and Georgina Jolibois are speaking out for their constituents and challenging the federal government albeit within the scope of their political party.
Senators Lillian Dyck and Murray Sinclair are active voices pushing forward First Nations legislation while also criticizing the governing party.
Other First Nations leaders such as Wilton Littlechild, Derrick Nepanak and Sheila North continue to speak out on First Nations issues and drive change forward.
This fall, the federal election will see four parties vying for power and we will most likely end up with some kind of minority government. If Wilson-raybould is elected, we will have a voice in Parliament to call the government to account without any entanglements with a political party.
She has the potential to provide a powerful voice to speak for our people.