By Brian Lee
Over a decade ago, the Sechelt Indian Band convinced the province to refuse renewals and applications for docks in Pender Harbour. For a community whose commerce and identity depend on them, it cut deep and tempers have simmered ever since.
Unlike our provincial representative Nicholas Simons, who has deflected any criticism onto the Clark government, I’ve held fast to the argument that the SIB is at least equally responsible for provoking this fiasco. It now seems clear the SIB council chose Pender Harbour as a suitable target to apply leverage in a bid to acquire more say over Crown property within their traditional territory.
The political aggression escalated with the appearance of symbolic structures in two Pender parks. Neither has been abused despite the insult and inflammation they brought to the discussion. As patience stretched thin, the province delivered a dock plan that may be unprecedented in its unfairness and lack of scientific support.
Predictably, tempers flared at the June 13 meeting and since then this community has been dismissed by some as a bunch of rude louts. Yes, Jamie Dixon was mistreated by a tiny minority of the 400-plus people who packed the hall expecting answers, not blessings. But he also received loud applause when he replied to a heckler:
"It may be nothing to do with you but you should hear me out."
It’s an important part of the story left out by many, including Simons when he Tweeted, "Never seen an elder booed before." For the record, Dixon wasn’t booed but his treatment was shameful. When he finished, Dixon received loud applause again from the 97 per cent who recognize the difference between people and their politics.
It’s no secret there is unprecedented hostility toward the band leadership over their sudden and aggressive interest in Pender Harbour. The fact this meeting was attended by a platoon of RCMP officers indicates something is off. So, opening that meeting with a Shishálh ceremony involved incredibly poor judgment or it was an intended provocation. If this is the new relationship with First Nations then it has failed and its architects need to be replaced.
Responding to questions about the plan’s consitutionality, the province rep was clear — they have not granted the SIB veto power over Crown decisions. But if the Crown won’t resist demands this unnecessary and destructive, then what is the difference? It serves to make everyone just a little more wary of the looming imperative that is reconciliation.
If we have progressed at all down this path, it is in the conversation started with the Shishálh people. Despite differences in opinion, I continue to gain respect for many I’ve come to know because of it. A year ago, the characters in this drama were just names rolling through the credits: Sid Quinn, Garry Feschuk, Chris August, Candace Campo, Calvin Craigan, Jasmine Paul, Steven Feschuk, Jamie Dixon. They are people who share many of our own concerns about this area and, under different circumstances, could be allies or even friends.
If that makes me sad for how things could have gone, it also gives me hope that meaningful relationships can still be salvaged. Digesting change takes time — and we all just took our first bite.