Land Back: a Yellowhead Institute Red Paper (2019)
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Land Back A Yellowhead Institute Red Paper OCTOBER 2019 3 ABSTRACT A NOTE ON AUTHORSHIP The Red Paper follows a tradition of Indigenous analysis and agenda- While the analysis in this Red Paper was driven by the Yellowhead making reports, like the first Red Paper released in 1970 by the network of research collaborators and supported by a team of Indian Association of Alberta in response to Canada’s 1969 White researchers (mentioned in the acknowledgments) the authors of the report are primarily Yellowhead Institute Directors, Shiri Pasternak Paper. Our report, “Land Back,” breaks down the current status and Hayden King. A breakdown of authorship by section: of land dispossession in Canada, focusing on alienation through resource extraction. We examine various forms of redress and Preface Recognition recognition by governments and industry to incentivize Indigenous Hayden King Shiri Pasternak participation in resource development, while pointing to the gaps Executive Summary Reclamation in these models. Finally, we consider meaningful Indigenous Executive Summary Reclamation Shiri Pasternak and Hayden King Hayden King and Riley Yesno economies outside of federal and provincial policies and legislation to foreground examples of land reclamation. This report is ultimately The Spectrum of Consent The Continuation of Life about Indigenous consent. Hayden King and Shiri Pasternak Hayden King Alienation KEYWORDS Shiri Pasternak Indigenous rights, settler colonialism, mining, recognition, consultation, consent, injunction, jurisdiction, climate change ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, we are in debt to the network of Red Paper research PARTNERSHIPS collaborators, individuals from across the country working towards land back for their own communities, who joined us at research workshops in Winter 2018 and Summer 2019 and who helped shaped the direction of this work. Thanks also to our Board of Advisors who refined the analysis here, This research was also supported by the Social Sciences and to David Carruthers of PlanLab for helping inspire the project and Humanities Research Council of Canada for providing technical support along the way, Adam Putter and BadMath for creating the mining alienation map, and a huge thank you to our researchers Fallon Andy, Riley Yesno, Dakota Erutse, Minowaywayjiwan Sinclair, Vanita Clare, Athena Bedassigae- Pheasant, and the “Injunction Team” (Azada Rahi, Carrie Robinson, Marc Kruse, Irina Ceric), the Anti-Colonial Committee of the Law This report is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- Union of Ontario (especially Kim Stanton and Mary Ebert), Shin Non Commercial 2.5 Canada License Imai, Naiomi Metallic and Amar Bhatia. We offer tremendous gratitude to Julie Flett for the use of her ILLUSTRATION CREDIT artwork and Anita Sekharan who led the design of the beautiful The illustrations featured in Land Back: A Yellowhead Institute Red Paper report and website. Thanks also to Gina Badger for Red Paper are by Cree-Métis artist, illustrator and author, copy-editing. Julie Flett. While the Red Paper includes a discussion of state violence, it is our hope that it also expresses a commitment to The Red Paper Project is supported through a partnership with Indigenous life. For us, that’s what Julie’s work represents. the Laidlaw Foundation. Thanks in particular to Jehad Aliweiwi and Betul Keles for their guidance and commitment. And to Images are from the following books: those at Ryerson for their ongoing contributions to Yellowhead A Day With Yayah by Nicola Campbell (Author), work, especially Dean of Arts Pamela Sugiman and Director of Julie Flett (Illustrator) Tradewind Books (2017) (front cover) Development in University Advancement, Allison Urowitz. The Girl and the Wolf by Katherena Vermette (Author), A very special thank you from Hayden and Shiri to Yumi Numata, Julie Flett (Illustrator) Theytus Books (2019) Yellowhead’s Operations and Communications Manager, for bringing all elements of the Red Paper to life. Dragonfly Kites by Tomson Highway (Author), Julie Flett (Illustrator) Fifth House Publishers; Bilingual edition (2018) LEARN MORE We All Count: Book of Cree Numbers, Art by Julie Flett, This report is accompanied by several online and Images courtesy of Native Northwest (2014) downloadable tools, including a glossary of terms, accessible at: Black Bear Red Fox: Colours in Cree, Art by Julie Flett, redpaper.yellowheadinstitute.org Image courtesy of Native Northwest (2017) During the course of work on this Red Paper, several heroes of Indigenous cultural and political resurgence walked on. The Yellowhead community will remember Lewis Debassige, Ima Johnson, Joel Peter, Milton Born with a Tooth, Harry St. Denis Josephine Mandamin and Francis Saysewehum. Table of Contents PART FOUR Reclamation 46 6 PREFACE 48 Environmental Assessment & Monitoring 8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 50 Tsleil-Waututh and the Trans Mountain Expansion Pipeline PART ONE The Spectrum 50 Stk’emlúpsemc te 15 of Consent Secwépemc Nation Ajax Mine Assessment 16 Architectures of Theft 50 Heiltsuk and the Indigenous 17 The Emergence of Marine Response Centre Consultation 51 Mi’gwawei Mawiomi Secretariat 20 An Indigenous and the Chaleur Terminals Consent Framework 52 Consent Protocols and Permitting PART TWO 52 Neskantaga’s Development 23 Denial Protocol 24 The Problem 54 Sakgeeng Consent Protocol of “Crown Land” 55 Saugeen Ojibway Nation 25 Resource Nation and Nuclear Waste 29 Injunctions & 55 Tŝilhqot’in Mushroom Permits the Police 56 Re-Occupying the Land 30 Cumulative Impact 56 Secwepemc Tiny House 33 Conclusion Warriors 57 Uni’stot’en Healing Centre PART THREE 58 Nimkii Aazhibikong Recognition 34 59 Sylvia McAdam & Sakaw Askiy 36 Impact and Management Inc. Benefit Agreements 60 Implementing 39 Government Resource Indigenous Models of FPIC: Revenue Sharing Considerations 41 Environmental Regulation CONCLUSION 43 Ownership & 63 The Continuation Equity Stakes of Life 44 Conclusion 10 Preface FROM 1968 TO 1969, the Federal Liberal government environment, twisted to fit seemingly senseless concepts of led by Pierre Trudeau drafted a new Indian policy. As a good and bad.”1 Whether through residential schools, Indian response to the activism of Indigenous leaders, the document Agents, or Christianization, this “twisting” manifested itself in proposed a shift away from oppressive and discriminatory dismantling the power of women, evacuating ceremony meant government policies, rooted in equality, or as Trudeau put it, to honour the animals we hunted, and the rise of homophobia “a just society.” and lateral violence. These were revolutionary times for many; some demanded Self-determination and land back will only be effective, inclusion in a polity that had marginalized so many for so fair, and sustainable if we reverse these trends. This is not long, while others formed social movements that questioned deterministic process of one before the other, but rather the legitimacy of capitalism and the nation state altogether. as a simultaneous re-weaving ourselves back together. The But the struggle meant something different for Indigenous infrastructure to “legally” steal our lands is important to people. It was a demand for integrity from Canadians: understand, and so are the concrete and promising practices honouring of treaty rights, restitution, and self-determination. to re-assert jurisdiction, but without including a discussion The White Paper, as the new policy became known, betrayed on how the latter is being done in a good way, we’ll keep those demands and prescribed political and legal assimilation getting it twisted. This report has been drafted with attention into Canadian society. This, of course, was more of the same. to those speaking back against the Western, masculine, and exclusionary politics and values that many in our communities In response, First Nation leaders in Alberta drafted Citizens have adopted and practice. We hope this follows the tradition Plus in 1970 (known as the Red Paper). The Red Paper was a of Indigenous women who challenged the leadership of the constructive alternative to Canada’s vision. While this history IAA during the era of the original Red Paper.2 is well-known, including the policy debate that has followed the White and Red Papers into the present, Yellowhead Throughout the report we focus attention on the processes of Institute is inspired by the notion of the Red Paper as a those exclusions, and in the final section, we have identified productive vision of Indigenous futures that critically engages cases of land and water reclamation that centre women, and with Canadian frameworks. to a lesser extent, queer and/or Two-Spirit individuals. We have more work to do to amplify these perspectives and In the case of our Red Paper, we aim to link Canadian policy experiences. After all, as our board member Emily Riddle prescriptions more closely to land and resource management, has taught us, Indigenous governance is actually pretty gay.3 and to outline the corresponding Indigenous alternatives. We have also tried to recognize young Indigenous leaders Like the 1970 original, we aim to support communities with as well. The title of this report, Land Back, is a nod to the additional information, ideas, and tools to respond to federal wave of emerging artists and memers finding new ways to plans on their own terms. communicate old demands. Our times, too, are revolutionary. While tragically little has But as we worked to craft Red Paper: Land Back, our changed since 1968–1970, there are also emerging debates