Taken it to the Man

As I have blogged here before the arguement by the Western Seperatists including the soft right wingers who support Alberta Uber Alles, claiming a constitutional right to mineral & resource rights and defying the idea of sharing the spoils with 'Eastern Bastards" fails to recognize that these land rights are illegal, illegitimate, and based on stolen land and broken promises to Canada's indigenous peoples.

Using their arguement that the 1935 constitutional accords allowed provinces the right to mineral and resource stewardship, justifies Alberta's position of telling Ottawa to bug out when it comes to oil and gas, coal, etc. revenues generated by the province one can then say that earlier legal agreements; treaties, supercede the Alberta governments right to resource revenues.

Link Byfield who I challenged over this is still humming and haaing over the question.

However Stewart Steinhauer, writing in the Dominon in his column, agrees. The Land belongs to the first nations, and they have as much say if not more in who should benefit from the revenues as does the Alberta Government.

Insurgency In Occupied Alberta

A Voice From The Coffin

We're getting down to the heart of the problem, the heartbeat of our Great Mother. Land. The indigenous insurgency in Alberta comes down to a call for Canada to adhere to international law, and recognize Indigenous title to land. The major shareholders and their corporate managers of energy corporations like Exxon Mobil, BP, and Royal Dutch Shell, to name a few, have other ideas, for oily reasons; powerful forces are keeping Canada from following the rule of law.

This distain for the rule of law, when it does not suit the interests of the powerful, is not a new phase in the history of Canada, or of western civilization. I came across a petition signed by my great-great grandfather, Henry Bird Steinhauer, and his son, Arthur, my great grandfather, among others, addressed to Canada's Lieutenant-Governor Archibald, calling for recognition of Indian title to land. The petition, dated 9 January, 1871, reads:

"We as loyal subjects of our Great Mother the Queen whom your Excellency represents, wish that our privileges and claims of the land of our fathers be recognized by Commissioners whom your Excellency may hereafter appoint to treat with the different tribes of the Saskatchewan…our friends the plains Crees, who have not been taught as we have, think that their lands and hunting grounds shall be taken from them without remuneration. As loyal subjects of our Great Mother the Queen, we pray that all the privileges and advantages of such subjects may be granted to us as a People by your Excellency's Government."