Today marks the 28th anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Delgamuukw vs British Columbia, a ruling that contained the first comprehensive account of Aboriginal title in Canada while also marking a shift in the way Aboriginal rights and title were legally recognized in the Country.
And in tandem with the anniversary, the Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs whose lands are located along the PRGT route, are launching a video information campaign and Chief Catherine Blackstock detailed the goal that this campaign is looking to accomplish;
“I’m hoping that everyone will understand that our hereditary system is still here, going strong. We’re not under an Indian Act. We are based on our hereditary system and that’s when referrals come in, we are the ones sitting at the table.”
That video is one of several that will gradually be released over the next little while.
The video also discusses the vision of hope and prosperity that the Chiefs have for the future while reinforcing their need to balance the responsibility of protecting their land and providing opportunities to their nation, in addition to explaining why they believe that the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission line is very important to the Gitxsan people.
But not everyone is on board with that project being built on traditional Gitxsan territory and Chief Blackstock talked about what she would say to the people opposed to the project;
“There are opportunities for them to talk to the people who are constructing the pipeline, Western LNG. They had a virtual information session and they’re going to have public ones in the future. If they’re a Wilp member, they should come and talk to their chief. That’s how our authority works, the house decides how they’re going to do things and if there’s trouble or concerns, you talk on a Wilp level, not out in public.”
Blackstock last said that the Gitxsan Chiefs who agreed to the project and the Gitanyow Chiefs, who are big opponents of it, haven’t talked to each other about the project in a long time.