Letter to the Editor
Please take the time to watch and listen to what is being said, we have heard little to nothing since that date. Some of the most galling contradictions you will hear is that no agreements have been finalized, this is all talking points, yet they fully admit that in 2014 they without any consultation with the residents of Smithers and or residents or cabin owners of Babine were ever told about these agreements before they were written into stone.
We would never oppose conversation, but how can you have a conversation when you pay one side (Lake Babine Nation) a million or millions of dollars to hammer out a deal with the BC Goverment who really has zero intention of allowing local people in on the conversation or the 2014 deal could never have happened. We the local people are not represented by government, or by the multi million dollar fund that only one side gets (out of our tax dollars, please do not forget who pays the tax dollars to our government)
Locals do not want or need people like Nathan Cullen and Taylor Bachrach representing us, because they don’t, in the 2014 deal, look on the record, exactly what did either of them say or do to protect the interests of anyone other than First Nations? The deal was done in secret and in private, 100% at the expense of anyone who in not First Nations.
Comments in this video are correct, both the feds and provincial government do not live here, so its the perfect place to sell out Canadians and grandstand on how you gave so much in reconciliation, from out of our pockets and our backyard, while your backyards get richer and wealthier.
Locals believe we could settle this with First Nations, we just need the money and keep outsiders (government) out of the conversation.
You kept hearing the government representatives talk about the start of the conversation, I lost track of how many time he said it, this meeting was held in Jan 2020, a year and a half later, the conversation remains in hiding, we have heard nothing since this meeting. How can you have a conversation when its done behind our backs?
Another good point made was that the government is secretly giving away hundreds of thousands of hectares of land, secretly behind the backs of those who live in those areas, or to Canadians in general. The government has intended to tell the public, after the fact, at a point where citizens can no longer prevent any portion of this land from being transferred out of the hands of Canadians.
Another good point was why is this about them and us, the truth is its government dividing us to conquer us, as opposed to allowing us a local conversation and local decisions made between Canadians and the Lake Babine Nation.
Please do not miss the comment that 150% of British Columbia has been claimed, do the math, that means 50% of British Columbia is two nations claiming the same land, and it also means there is ZERO land for non aboriginals, so it looks like our government is about to throw us all under the bus, in an effort to get First Nation to feel RECONCILED.
Clearly the word reconciliation, or its meaning has been thrown to the wind. Just watch how someone from down south, plays with maps, and treating OUR backyard as if he has the right to give away anything or all of it. All of it hidden inside the word “aboriginal title” without giving Canadians (local residents) a seat at the negotiating table. We need an end to government saying they are our representation, and fund locals equally as they do First Nations, so locals can hire lawyers and be equals in this conversation.
Keep in mind that the government did not have our backs, and did not consult with us, and signed the 2014 agreement behind our backs.
My last comment on this issue is the need for local residents, not just property owners to be involved, and I will include why I am suggesting this. Not much has been said about access to Babine Lake, what we have seen is a promise or comments made that access for Smithers residents will not be affected. I would have taken them at their word however very recently the Gitxsan Nation posted the following “Gitxsan chiefs say they are extending a ban on sportfishing on their traditional territories in northwestern B.C. in response to the provincial government backing away, after two years, of discussions on the future of the fishery on the Skeena River system. “
This proves that aboriginals can and will stop and block access and the government, both federal and provincial do nothing to protect our rights, and actually go as far as changing regulations to insure that locals cannot fish in support of the aboriginals ban as we saw in the case of the Kitwanga River where the DFO put a ban in place in support of the Gitxsan declaration.
For decades if not since time immemorial aboriginals and non-aboriginals fished side by side in Kitwanga, now aboriginals use that as a point of extortion to use non aboriginals to leverage our governments into giving in to their demands, is that what we now call negotiating as equals in good faith? As I said earlier, government in turn prevents conflict by making it illegal to fish there now. That is how Nathan Cullen and Taylor Bachrach show their support for the majority of our local citizens.
We now know the government will not protect our rights, and aboriginals will blockade locals from fishing.
Below:
Cabin owners on Babine Lake received letters from the Provincial Government on Jan 29th of 2020. This letter is in regards to potential land transfers to the Lake Babine Nation. This video documents the talk that was held with property owners in the purposed area.
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