Members of the Rainy River First Nations gathered on Monday for a peaceful protest in support of the Wet’suwet’en Nation and their hereditary chiefs, and to voice their own discontent over the relationship between First nations and industry.
According to RRFN Chief Rob McGinnis, the walk was inspired by protests in British Columbia, where the hereditary Chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en Nation blocked trains and pipeline construction, in protest of GasLink.
“It brought attention to how industry is dealing with first nations communities across Candada. It made us look in our own back yard and how industry has been dealing with us,” said Chief McGinnis. “We’re in support of any First Nations who are having a hard time with industry. We aren’t against industry, we just think they can be more responsible and more respectful.”
His community feels that hasn’t always been the case with local industries, including CN and New Gold.
“At times, we felt disrespected,” he said. “At times, when we have gone to the negotiating table, we felt their minds were already made up. As if they had internal discussions, and their discussions were – that was their decision, and how to make it the most palatable to the First Nations.”
The procession gathered at the RRFN administration office and made its way to the Pow wow grounds, where Chief McGinnis and Francis Kavanaugh, Grand Chief Treat three, addressed the crowd.
“Respect is one of our sacred teachings. It is an important part of our culture. Our beliefs,” announced Chief Rob McGinnis. “Managing a relationship is one thing. Respecting a relationship is something completely different. Respecting a relationship means valuing the concerns of your partner on par with your own.”
“We have a mine down the road that does not have an anti-racism policy,” McGinnis alleged. “There are New Gold managers that refer to our Nation’s Chiefs as Chief Wugabuga, without any consequences. Just so you know, my name is Chief Robin McGinnis. You can call me Chief Rob. You cannot call me Chief Wugabuga.”
Chief McGinnis also expressed concern over recent derailments by CN.
“Two trains have derailed in the region within the last year. Four in the past few years,” he said. “There is real risk that one day soon our community could be severely impacted by a derailment at the wrong time. In the wrong place. When these things happen, we get CN’s crisis managers on our doorstep. But nobody comes here who can implement real change.”
“We are not against CN. We are not against New Gold. We are not opposed to industry. Just the opposite,” he said. “We welcome industry into our territory. We welcome industry that is committed to high environmental standards. We welcome industry that is committed to building a skilled and professional local workforce. We welcome industry that respects and embraces our culture and our values.
“The key word here is respect.”
