ADAM OLSEN -- British Columbians are uncomfortable with the dysfunctional relationships that we see once again playing out in the Wet'suwet'en territory
The episode of The Public Circle Podcast, “Conversation
About Indigenous Relations in BC” featured a discussion I had with John Juricic, and Kelly Darwin, for their podcast Northern
Conversations. I am re-publishing it here.
There is a great deal of confusion with
respect to the current state of Indigenous relations in British Columbia. There
is even less understanding of how we got here.
This has not been helped by the willingness
of the provincial government to wrap themselves in the glory of being the first
jurisdiction to pass the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act,
while failing to honour the complexity of the situation and continuing to
over-simplify it in the public sphere.
British Columbians are uncomfortable with the
dysfunctional relationships that we see once again playing out, in the
Wet'suwet'en territory, as part of the colonial legacy of our province and
country.
Who is responsible for the fact that fully
armed RCMP officers are once again removing Indigenous peoples from their
territory?
Is it the fault of Indigenous people who
can't get along? Or, is it the fault of the federal and provincial governments
who created the conditions for the confusion?
In this frank discussion we address these
question (and many more) and hopefully create a starting point for unpacking
the complexity of the challenges we face.
Adam
Olsen is the BC Green Party Member of the
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Saanich North and the Islands, and
currently the interim leader for the BC Greens.
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