Members of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation marched through the streets of Campbell River, B.C., recently, warning that they are ready to escalate their fight.
“We really want to avoid any kind of social disruption, blockades and things like that, but they feel like we’re constantly being disrespected and ignored,” said Chairman Chris Roberts.
Last month, the province introduced Bill 20, the K’ómoks Treaty Act, which would make more than 3,400 hectares of land into K’ómoks Treaty Land with an option for the State to purchase an additional 1,592 hectares from the BC government over time.
But neighboring Wei Wai Kum First Nation called for a temporary suspension of the agreement, saying it covers about 80 percent of its traditional territory.
Even though it raises concerns, there is no resolution yet.
“We want to raise awareness of this and bring it to the attention of the government and the people of British Columbia,” Roberts said.
On Monday, the First Nation sent formal notice of their intent to engage in civil disobedience to government and commercial entities operating in Ligwiłda’xw Territory, including those associated with the BC Hydro Dam in the Campbell River watershed, Island Highway users, marine terminals and Seymour Narrows.
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“We really don’t want to disrupt traffic. There are cruise ships that go through there almost every day during the holiday season, so it’s just a matter of don’t do that and resolve this civilly,” Roberts said.
In a statement, the K’ómoks First Nation said they are “committed to respectful dialogue and believe that differences of opinion between nations should be resolved through constructive discussions and established processes, not public disruption.
BC’s Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation agreed.
“Peaceful protests, I think, are one thing. Threatening blockades that could disrupt people’s livelihoods, their ability to work, and so on, I think is unsupportable,” said Spencer Chandra Herbert.
“We will continue to engage with the Wei Wai Kum First Nation. We understand their concerns. We have consulted consistently. I have spoken to the chief numerous times. We will continue to do outreach to listen to their concerns and from my understanding, the Comox Nation is working directly with the Wei Wai Kum Nation nationally, which is a great fit for these kinds of conversations, and we will continue to support those efforts.”
Once the agreement passes the provincial ratification stage, Roberts said it will be difficult to make any changes.
At that point, negotiations may not be the only thing stalled.
“The time pressure here is critical,” Roberts said.
“So, this is a final plea to say, ‘Please listen to the concerns that we’ve raised, please pay attention to the proposals that we’ve made,’ because we firmly believe that if we commit to making those efforts together, we will get to a better state.”
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