We are pushing for equity ownership in the projects that extract resources from, or run through, our territories. Yet the protesters threaten to take all of that away
No one can deny the growing support for Indigenous-led resource projects. New, positive announcements are being made across the country virtually every week, with more communities entering joint ventures or signing agreements with stakeholders in a variety of industries, from mining and oil and gas, to fishing and forestry.
Never have Canadians been so supportive of Indigenous-led initiatives. This is encouraging. Every day I look at my children and I’m reminded about my underlying motivation. When I see our people going through challenging times, I think about the opportunities we have that our parents couldn’t even dream about.
Unfortunately, there is virtually no media coverage of the positive things Indigenous communities and industry are doing together to move reconciliation forward. Instead, we are confronted with negative news about our communities, day in and day out. It’s exhausting.
The media loves to showcase protests and give platforms to activists who claim to be supporting the Wet’suwet’en people by shutting down government buildings and blocking railroads and highways. This is not reconciliation. In fact, it is doing significant harm to Indigenous peoples.
For the rest of this column: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/chris-sankey-those-who-support-protests-and-blockades-are-doing-a-disservice-to-indigenous-people?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1638986821