North Island-Powell River MP Rachel Blaney says she’s relieved after a proposed arrangement between a Wet’suwet’en Chief And senior levels of government have been reached.
She says it’s good to see something done because the dispute between the two parties has impacted everyone across the country, not just those in B.C.
“There’s been a huge impact on our country based on this issue and hopefully, we’ll see some relationships built and tensions go down across Canada,” Blaney says. “It’s really important for our economy and also for the ongoing relationship between Canada and Indigenous people.”
No specific details have been released of the proposal and it has to be sent back to the Wet’suwet’en people for approval before moving forward.
Blaney adds that she’s glad the dispute is getting resolved but says it’s unfortunate it had to go so far.
“So, the next step from what I’ve seen so far is that the agreement will be going back to the community for feedback and then hopefully we’ll see some action happy quickly.”
“At the beginning of January, the Prime Minister’s office received multiple invitations to come and be apart of this process. The Prime Minister kept saying no it’s not a federal issue, it’s a provincial issue and then went on to say it’s an Indigenous issue. And, of course, it’s totally a federal issue,” added Blaney.
The dispute between the provincial and federal governments and the Wet’suwet’en people caused many to vocalize their support on Vancouver Island as well.
Protests and blockades were organized in many communities including Campbell River, the Comox Valley, and Nanaimo in mid-February for those showing solidarity for the Wet’suwet’en.
