SeedChange solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people and support for Indigenous sovereignty

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The recent actions carried out by the RCMP on Wet’suwet’en territory are in violation of Canada’s responsibilities under UNDRIP and seriously undermine our government’s commitment to reconciliation.

SeedChange wishes to express our solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people and support for Indigenous sovereignty. We urge the Canadian government to uphold its commitments as a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action.

These commitments are nothing if they are not implemented.

In 1997, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized that the Wet’suwet’en people, as represented by their hereditary leaders, had not given up rights and title to their territory. In January 2020, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination called for the immediate suspension of work on the Coastal GasLink pipeline until free, prior and informed consent is obtained.

The recent actions carried out by the RCMP on Wet’suwet’en territory are in violation of Canada’s responsibilities under UNDRIP and seriously undermine our government’s commitment to reconciliation.

It is heartbreaking to see young Indigenous people saying “Reconciliation is dead.” Yet we understand why. How can Indigenous Peoples take commitments to reconciliation seriously when their rights are not upheld? When they are arrested and forcibly removed while defending land they never ceded?

We encourage Canadians who are frustrated with interruptions to our economy to voice this frustration to your MP. The solidarity being shown by communities across the country should not be condemned. People are seeking a way to draw attention to what is happening on Wet’suwet’en territory, and demand the integrity of a nation to nation response. The possibility of reconciliation is alive in the growing multitude of voices supporting a peaceful and rights-based resolution.

SeedChange supports Indigenous rights and sovereignty in our work globally. Those values must apply within the borders of our own country. We urge the governments of Canada and B.C. to uphold our commitment to the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to match its actions to its words, proceeding in a true spirit of reconciliation.

What you can do: SeedChange encourages our supporters to read the Unist’ot’en Supporter ToolKit and to take at least one action, such as donating, emailing politicians, signing a pledge, and educating yourself and others.

SeedChange acknowledges the National Farmers Union for its leadership in the farming community showing solidarity with Indigenous Peoples. Some content in this statement is drawn from the NFU Solidarity Statement.