My usual Christmas editorial is usually about the concepts of sharing with those less fortunate than ourselves. I think by now everyone has the message since I’ve been hearing about the good works done in many communities. Next year I’ll be covering some of them to give credit where credit is due.
This Xmas, however, I would like to talk about another kind of sharing. It seems that some have forgotten the sharing of decisions affecting the Cree people.
It may not be a priority to the chiefs but this is an issue that must be addressed without delay. As the old car product ad saying goes, “you can pay me a little now or you can pay me a lot later.” This refers to the fact that it is easier to change the oil or car radiator fluid than it is to replace an engine or radiator.
It was a long, hard, costly fight. One the Crees will be facing again. Hydro-Quebec has announced its intentions to look at the possibilities of diverting the Great Whale and/or Ruperts Rivers into La Grande. I can also remember how much the Crees spent fighting the project. Those millions of dollars were well spent. It put the Crees in a position few Native peoples have been in, that of a position of power to take to task the governments and corporations. This is one fight that we could stop in its tracks before it gets out of hand both in time and money.
Just what am I getting into here, you might ask? What I am talking about is the fact that the Whapmagoostui people, even as you read this, have already started to tour the United States to begin protecting the land.They are living up to their responsibilities as citizens of the Cree Nation in atraditional manner. They are laying the groundwork for the fight and reactivating the network.
In comparison, the chiefs and councils of the communities that would be affected by the diversion of the Ruperts River have not spoken. They have not given their people a chance to speak out, as did Whapmagoostui in its community referendum.
There’s a line from an old 60’s or 70’s song about Natives that went, “Let my people go,” in the chorus. These days perhaps we should change that to: “Let my people speak.”
Once again I will point out that the cost of the Whapmagoostui referendum was $500. Far cheaper than the amount of money it will take to play catch-up later on in the battle to save Cree land. This of course assumes that the Cree chiefs in those communities wish to save the land. If not then this silence could be taken as an indication of a backroom-deals mentality.
In either case it comes down to one thing; time has passed and silence is deafening compared to the cry of the Whapmagoostui First Nation.
The sharing of the power of decisions that affect all Creess and the responsibilitiesthat we all have as citizens of the Cree Nation are being ignored. Democracy must beguarded jealously by the citizen lest it disappear. If the silence of the chiefs issomething that you disagree with then it is your responsibility to acton it as a citizen.Doing nothing is giving up on those responsibilities.
