Campbell’s Transformation Complete; Calls for Native Nationhood Declaration

On the heels of Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper’s call to recognize Quebec as a nation within Canada, British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell is calling on Canada to recognize all aboriginal people as a nation within Canada. In an Op-Ed piece in the National Post called ‘A United Canada’, Campbell writes “Let us celebrate who we really are as Canadians — a “nation of nations,” founded on our English, French and Aboriginal heritage.”

Campbell continues:

Indeed, I would urge the Prime Minister to work with Aboriginal leaders to develop a similar motion that offers a positive affirmation of Canada’s three founding nations — French, English and Aboriginal alike. Confusion, frustration and disappointment are all understandable sentiments for those who have sought such recognition for so many years, and do not see themselves reflected in the motion tabled last week.

Canada’s First Nations, Metis and Inuit people should not be further marginalized by dint of this effort to unite Canada, which leaves them noticeably out of the picture. It is high time we formally acknowledged Canada’s “third solitude” — the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. We should do that formally, proudly and emphatically in a similar resolution that embraces our heritage as a nation of many nations.

This statement suggests Campbell and his Liberal government have moved a long way from the referendum on treaties they held in 2002.

But I wonder if the public will find this move even more odd than Harper’s Quebec nation assertion. Aboriginal people have, after all, asserted their nationhood themselves for years, referring to themselves as ‘First Nations.’ The governments of Canada and British Columbia have accepted that, at least implicitly, since at least the passing of the Constitution Act in 1982.

In addition, it is easy to argue that aboriginal communities represent a large number of nations (if you want to use that term) and not a single founding group. To suggest otherwise denies the cultural diversity of aboriginal Canada. The treaty process in BC is based on the premise that aboriginal groups can define themselves in terms of membership and land base without reference to membership in some sort of aboriginal collective. Does a declaration of aboriginal nationhood imply that aboriginal cultures and interests are the same throughout Canada?

Ultimately, French Canadians are much more easily identified as a single ethnic group than all aboriginal people (although I’m sure there are opinions on this too). The Premier himself notes that aboriginal people include First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people. I am simply left to ask how aboriginal people — individuals, communities, national organizations — interpret Campbell’s (well-intentioned) editorial.

The The Vancouver Sun reports on Campbell’s editorial.

Update

Phil Fontaine, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, rejects Harper’s idea of recognizing Quebec as a nation within Canada:

Fontaine said he recognizes that the Québécois have their own distinct culture and language in Canada, but that position should not supercede the culture and languages of First Nations, which are also nations within a united Canada.

“What is unfortunate about this motion is the omission of any reference of first peoples. We should not be seen as peoples of a lesser status than others in Canada, including the Québécois,” he said.

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