In “Finding ways to share this land of plenty,” Will Braun explains the two Supreme Court of Canada decisions concerning the Tsilhqot’in people (B.C.) and Grassy Narrows (Ont.). Here are more items related to these cases.
Hayden holds forth
The best article I've found on the Supreme Court judgments is by respected Ryerson prof Hayden King, “Land ruling’s message to First Nations: You have no place in Confederation” in The Globe and Mail. A few excerpts:
[I]f Tsilqot’in is a “game-changer”. . . last week’s Grassy Narrows decision . . . affirms that the rules are still effectively the same.
The additional problematic feature of the Supreme Court’s [Grassy Narrows] decision is the shockingly one-sided understanding of history.
For provinces governed by the Numbered Treaties, the ruling means business as usual: consult, infringe, accommodate.
The result [of the Grassy Narrows judgment] is effectively the status quo ante, which has bordered on apocalyptic.
Plain-talking lawyers
My favoured source of thoughtful, understandable and concise analysis of current Aboriginal issues is the OKT Law blog.Lawyers tend to make everything complicated but these lawyers are skilled at doing the opposite.
Olthuis, Kleer, Townshend (OKT) is one of the top Aboriginal rights law firms in Canada. Its newest partner is Bob Rae. One of its founding partners, John Olthuis, was instrumental in the bold ecumenical work on indigenous issues in the '70s. (I have the pleasure of working in conjunction with OKT in one of my other jobs.)
Here's their post on the Grassy Narrows case.
And two of their posts on Tsilhqot'in, here and here.
Supreme Court judgment
Supreme Court judgments are not exactly light reading, but they're much more understandable than you might think. For the keeners, they’re worth a look. Here's the June 27, 2014, Tsilhqot'in judgment. And the June 11, 2014, Grassy Narrows decision.
My visit to the Grassy Narrows logging blockade
Here's my firsthand account of visiting the Grassy Narrows logging blockade and clear cuts in the winter of 2003, including interviews with logging and government reps.
—Posted August 14, 2014
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