Letters to The Province, April 15, 2022: First Nations’ rights were diminished despite their sacrifices during First World War

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Re: Why Vimy Ridge is still so important

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Do First Nations think of the First World War or Vimy Ridge as a unifying event Probably not.

During the First World War, First Nations volunteered in great numbers to fight for Canada. There was hope that Indigenous military contribution would result in more equitable treatment from the government after 1918.

In fact, coercion increased. Late Secwépemc leader George Manuel called the 1927 Indian Act amendment the most egregious piece of Parliament legislation ever passed in its history.

First Nations lost significant amounts of land due to the Soldiers’ Settlement Act, unilaterally imposed and reserves became smaller after the First World War.

Indigenous leaders expected fair treatment as reward for Indigenous sacrifice. But after the war Canada quickly moved to diminish Indigenous rights, making residential school attendance compulsory and trying to impose assimilation and enfranchisement.

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In 1927 the federal government outlawed Indigenous fundraising for land claims and in the 1930s prohibited Indigenous peoples from traveling to Ottawa to present grievances.

My great-uncle, Private Benjamin Smith, fought at Vimy Ridge, and was later killed at Passchendaele.

If I learned any lesson, it was the Canadian government was intent on trampling on Indigenous rights, not supporting them.

Bob Burgel, Fisher River Cree Nation

BC needs a climate plan

I am extremely concerned by the BC government’s lack of action to combat the climate crisis, which I believe is a critical emergency facing our province, country and the world

Sierra Club BC, represented by Ecojustice lawyers, is suing the BC government for not having plans to achieve all climate targets on the path to net zero emissions by 2050, as set out in its own climate change legislation, for every sector of the economy.

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I support this legal action and call on my MLA to help ensure Premier Horgan’s government develops and implements the missing plans as quickly as possible

BC likes to call itself a climate leader, but it has failed a critical test for not complying with it’s own climate accountability legislation.

Now, the missing provincial plans, particularly the missing one for the oil and gas sector, combined with continued support for new LNG projects and increasing fracking operations threaten to undermine BC’s path toward a livable climate.

BC continues to emit more and more carbon pollution while the climate crisis is battering the province. With the increased frequency of deadly weather events caused by the climate crisis, anything less than a plan without blind spots and loopholes is unacceptable

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How many more deadly “heat domes” or destructive atmospheric rivers will it take before the government realizes that claims about bold climate action without detailed plans for every target and every sector is an abrogation of their basic duty to keep people safe in an emergency?

This isn’t a partisan issue, nor is it one that can be balanced against “the economy.” This is a five alarm fire-the stakes being a livable and prosperous province, country and earth for now for future generations

I expect the BC government to take these truths to heart and ensure the province develops and implements the missing climate plans as quickly as possible

Ian Dewar McPherson, Richmond