GOLDSTEIN: Trudeau’s tactics mean more railway blockades - Toronto Sun

In government, as in war, there’s a difference between a strategy, which is your goal, and the tactics you use to achieve that strategy.

In the wake of Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett’s recent meetings with the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs on their opposition to the Coastal Gaslink pipeline in B.C, it’s clear the Trudeau government doesn’t understand the difference between the two.

As a result, its tactics are undermining its strategy.

That means there will be more railway blockades and other economically disruptive protests by (some) Indigenous leaders and their allies, not confined to B.C., but across the country.

Here’s why: In the wake of her meetings with the hereditary chiefs, Bennett said her concern, as reported by the National Post, “was not about one (pipeline) project. It is about the future of Canada.”

She said the government’s goal  — its strategy — is to resolve the longstanding land claim of the Wet’suwet’en people.

Explaining the result of her meetings with the hereditary chiefs, which produced a tentative deal, which may or may not be ratified by the broader Wet’suwet’en community, its details yet to be publicly disclosed, Bennett said: “What we agree on is that now the conversation begins. How does the nation make decisions together? That is why the hereditary chiefs chose to take it back to their house and their clans to see if there is support for that … Where there is a process on how a nation takes a decision, that achieves the kind of certainty that allows investments.”

This is completely disingenuous.

In the real world, the purpose of Bennett’s meetings with the hereditary chiefs — and thus Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s purpose — was not to settle a land claim or resolve Indigenous self-government issues.

It was to end the national railway blockades in support of the hereditary Wet’suwet’en chiefs.

Prior to those blockades, Trudeau treated the Wet’suwet’en land claim as a local dispute with the B.C. government, not significant enough for him to interrupt his foreign tour promoting Canada’s bid for a temporary UN Security Council seat.

Trudeau’s real strategy was to end the railway blockades.

Bennett meeting with the hereditary chiefs was the tactic to achieve it, Trudeau at that point unwilling to use the tactic of having police dismantle the blockades, although he later changed his mind.

The problem is that by using the tactic of meeting with the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs to implement his strategy of ending the blockades, Trudeau undermined his strategy of resolving the land claim dispute and self-government issues within the Wet’suwet’en community.

By negotiating and agreeing to a secret deal with the hereditary chiefs, Trudeau legitimized their authority over the elected Wet’suwet’en chiefs and band councils who overwhelmingly support the pipeline project for its economic benefits.

This was highlighted by the testimony of Theresa Tait-Day, a former Wet’suwet’en hereditary leader, at the Commons Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee Tuesday.

Day, along with two other female hereditary leaders, was stripped of her authority a year ago by the hereditary leaders for supporting the pipeline.

She said the Trudeau government has now helped a “group of five guys” — the male hereditary chiefs —  “hijack” the pipeline project, supported by “over 80%” of the community.

By confusing tactics with strategy Trudeau has sent out a clear message to Indigenous groups that if they want to get his attention, they should disrupt the Canadian economy.

We’re all going to pay for that mistake.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

"tactic" - Google News
March 12, 2020 at 06:04AM
https://ift.tt/2W40g5R

GOLDSTEIN: Trudeau’s tactics mean more railway blockades - Toronto Sun
"tactic" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2NLbO9d
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update

Bagikan Berita Ini