By Klaus Rohrich
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
The ongoing standoff in Caledonia, Ontario between native protesters and the town's people is a shining example how in Canada we have willingly adopted two different applications of the law. When native protesters occupied a housing development under construction in Caledonia, the Ontario Provincial Police at the behest of their political masters, stood by and idly watched, even as native protesters physically assaulted members of the media and in one case, a group of U.S, border patrol officers who had come to observe the protest.
The natives practically shut down the entire town of Caledonia, affecting the lives and businesses of the people who live, work and more significantly, pay taxes in that community. They did so with total impunity and apparently under the protection of OPP officers.
However, this past weekend police moved in and quickly arrested two protesters who attempted to hang the Canadian flag on a pole that was flying the Mohawk Warrior flag.
Gary McHale and Mark Vandermaas were arrested and taken to jail as they and some 150 protesters assembled near the disputed lands to object to the ongoing occupation. Several hundred native protesters cheered, as the cops took the two into custody and the rest of the counter-demonstrators quickly dispersed.
The obvious lesson here is that the government is squeamish about enforcing laws that Canada's so-called victim groups take exception to. Consider what would happen if a citizens' group decided to occupy development lands to save a stand of trees, after construction of the site had been initiated. The protesters would be arrested and charged with trespassing so fast their heads would spin. But the same gambit employed by an official victim group is met with tolerance and understanding.
In recent years native protests over land claims have escalated as aboriginals have discovered that the various levels of government in Canada don't have the stomach to enforce the laws with all its citizens. The message is very clear, if you are an officially recognized aggrieved group, then you are given lots of leeway when it comes to following the laws of the land.
The end result, of course is predictable in that natives are now pressing their claims more strongly than ever. It's interesting to note what Hazel Hill, the spokesperson for the native protesters, had to say about Canada. "Canada doesn't exist without native people. Canada is not a nation. It doesn't have any claim to any land, because everything it has ever done is based on stolen lands.” This attitude clearly betrays a misunderstanding of how her "noble savage” ancestors actually lived before Europeans came to this country. The concept of private property was unknown to aboriginals and they were not above moving lock stock and barrel into another tribe's territory and occupying those lands.
If Canada really doesn't exist, then perhaps it's a good idea to allow those native protesters to revert to their pristine pre-historic status and live off the land without the nearly $10 billion that the government of Canada is throwing at them every year. The free prescription, education and other benefits afforded to natives would be much better spent on Canadians who see themselves a part of this nation rather than those who feel that being a victim entitles them to special privileges.
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