Golden Shovel Issue#1, April 2020 - Hanks Corner-They Choose Employment, Trades And Skills Over Poverty

​Hank Siegel - There it is protesters, the wet’suwet’en people are looking to take care of there own so stop the protests. Poverty for the wet’suwet’en is no more. They choose Employment Trades and Skills over poverty... They took control of their destiny, their interests and are moving forward with the pipeline.

Response to Hanks Post - Hank they are not Protesters. They are land defenders.

Hank -you know I’m not trying to be rude, sorry…but unless you can figure out a better way than working to get your community out of poverty, to me they are protestors. I’ve heard the terms Land Keepers and Water Protectors. Now I am hearing Land Defenders. Go and tell the rest of Canada they are Land Defenders because Canadians see them as Country Disturbers! Watch the video I posted. Not once did they ask for anybody to protest under wet’suwet’en name.

I fund myself to attend these functions so I have the right to my opinion. Just like these so-called Land Defenders who haven’t really stated what they defend. Is it Idle No More, Missing and Murdered Woman and Men, or Reconciliation?

So, what is the University of Winnipeg marching around portage and main for because I’m more confused on that. Especially when the wet’suwet’en have said 87% of them are for the pipeline.

I’m definitely not into social programs being the solution for starving communities. The only ones that prosper from that life are Chief and Council. I’ll take the work and if it means my kids eat one more day, I’m good with that.

Response to Hanks Post - How do a few thousand protesters speak for a whole population? How many treaty people are there?

Hank - I guess that’s the point, they are not treaty or fall under the Indian act. I think they are a distinct society much like Quebec. They have been dealing with coastal gas and LNG for the last four years. The conferences I have attended they simply stated they didn’t ask for these protesters help. The blockade they put up was because they were being thrown out of their territory’s trap lines, medicine picking traditional areas and so on. They were negotiating on jobs and trades and said no to the one time pay out.

Their hereditary Chief Government is much like the Royal family of the UK. They inherited it and they believe elected Chief and Council only represent the inter structure of the reserve and not the territory. The local band here in Mcleod lake just received money to construct a major refiner plant where their members will receive jobs, trades and Skills.

Trades such as millwrights, pipe fitters, Electrician’s and so on training and education will be given on construction of this plant. That’s self sustainable economic growth. I think this will set precedents across Canada for all First Nations

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