Tomorrow, June 29, is the First Nations Day of Action. With the potential for occupations and confrontations, there's much talk that native people should not be above the law.
Well, it's true, we all ought to have equal protection under the rule of law. But native people's legal rights and entitlements in this country been too rarely been safeguarded by the rule of law. Canada's treaty obligations are real and serious. But our governments have always demanded that First Nations endlessly litigate even the most obvious requirements. Our settler courts have rarely been active in pushing governments to comply with the treaties.
So I would prefer the rule of law. But I understand it's hard to expect people to respect that rule when it never seems to work for them.
I hope everything goes peaceably tomorrow, and that we learn from what we were spared.
