Evidence of meeting #34 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was communities.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Greg McLean Conservative Calgary Centre, AB
Okay, I won't ask you to comment on it. She also raised some issues around the health concerns caused by fracking wells in northern British Columbia.
Are you aware of any negative health outcomes that are associated with fracking gas wells in northern British Columbia?
Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Skeena, As an Individual
No, I'm not, but I do know that no water aquifers have been damaged in the northeast of B.C.
Conservative
Greg McLean Conservative Calgary Centre, AB
Thank you.
She was talking more about the health effects of fracking, which I think was news to everybody who works with the industry.
Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Skeena, As an Individual
I have experience with industrial development. The problem with this is that you're trying to find the smoking gun.
We tried to go down that road in terms of industrial health and it was hard. We spent millions of dollars in court and we couldn't prove it. There was one industry where we actually proved it, with the local fish. We went after them, but it's really hard to find that smoking gun.
Conservative
Greg McLean Conservative Calgary Centre, AB
By smoking gun, do you mean what's causing the health outcome?
Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Skeena, As an Individual
Yes.
Conservative
Greg McLean Conservative Calgary Centre, AB
Are the health outcomes in northern B.C. less than they were 10 years ago?
Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Skeena, As an Individual
Yes.
Conservative
Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Skeena, As an Individual
No, the health outcomes are much better than they were 10 or 20 years ago.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Our time is up.
We'll go to Mr. Nathaniel Erskine-Smith. Nate...?
Okay, we'll go to Madame Pauzé.
Bloc
Monique Pauzé Bloc Repentigny, QC
Thank you for joining us, Ms. Gabriel.
I have to tell you that when I heard about the situation in Kanesatake, I was floored. It is shameful that right now, the powers that be cannot enforce our laws to protect the health of citizens and the environment because sadly, what is being put into the air is criminal.
I don't know if you know the name of the business that owns the facility, but it is G&R Recycling. The business belongs to Robert and Gary Gabriel, who are brothers and who are both indigenous and non-immigrants. The dump also belongs to Stephen Borbely and Roberto Scoppa, who are investors. They are criminals who were found guilty in 2005 of forcible confinement and rioting after the house of Grand Chief James Gabriel was burned down. Gary Gabriel was arrested in 2009. He has in his possession a military-style truck, weapons and AK‑47 cartridges. On July 1, 2021, he was with gang leader Arsène Mompoint when Mompoint was killed in a cannabis dispensary in Kanesatake.
I'm telling you all this because I am focusing on the problem of the illegal dump and I want the committee to understand who we’re dealing with here when we talk about this business.
What is extremely frustrating in all this, it that the powers that be cannot go and enforce the law because both white and indigenous people are scared. Both groups are scared.
What does that tell you, when public servants cannot do their work to protect the health of citizens and the environment because they are the targets of threats and violence?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Ms. Gabriel, there's not much time left, but if you'd like to respond to that go ahead.
Onkwehón:we Rights Activist, As an Individual
That's a good question. It's a small community. Everybody knows everybody. Everybody's related in some way. There is a letter that I submitted to the committee that explains the situation. The federal and provincial governments apply the law when it's convenient for them. I complained about the first dump I think around 1995. I was told by Environment Canada that environmental laws do not apply on reserves.
We have a very huge void where our community members are protected. Ruling by fear and coercion, condoned by the Government of Canada, Quebec and the authorities...but I'm not here to discuss the criminality of what you're referring to. I live in this community. I have to beware for myself, my safety and my family's safety, so I think you should bring that up in another commission. I think there should be another commission investigating.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Thank you. You mentioned, Ms. Gabriel, that you sent some notes to the committee, I believe. Is that what you just said? You sent a letter to the committee or a copy to—
Liberal
Onkwehón:we Rights Activist, As an Individual
Okay, so in respect of the community, there are people who live near the dump who keep their windows closed in the summer because of the smell. This was allowed to go on.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
I'm going to go to Ms. Collins now and then I'm going to come back to Ms. Taylor Roy and Ms. Thompson.
Ms. Collins.
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
To Ms. Gabriel, the former UN special rapporteur on human rights and hazardous substances and wastes said that the invisible violence inflicted by toxics is an insidious burden disproportionately borne by indigenous peoples in Canada, and that, “There appears a pervasive trend of inaction of the Canadian Government in the face of existing health threats from decades of historical and current environmental injustices and the cumulative impacts of toxic exposures on Indigenous peoples.”
Can you tell us a little bit more about the ongoing environmental hazards that are being felt by indigenous communities.
Onkwehón:we Rights Activist, As an Individual
I can only speak for my community. I know that there is raw sewage. There are old refrigerators and old air conditioners with the components that have now been declared toxic. These are waste products coming from the city of Montreal and surrounding suburbs.
These people, if you know the Two Row Wampum, have stepped outside indigenous laws. They have become assimilated in colonized people who do not care about the environment and do not care about their language or customs. They only care about the bottom line. They should not be considered indigenous people. They are specifically hurting the community and they rule by fear. That is how most toxic waste dumps get in. There were no consultations by the band council under Serge Simon. The band council is not telling people anything about the negotiations they have with the federal government.
We are powerless to do anything, so it is left up to us to do something. That is really frustrating because I stood up for the land in 1990 and what do we have? We have lawlessness that is condoned by the federal government, knowingly. They know. I told Marc Miller, our community is imploding. Twice I said that to him, including recently in April at the permanent forum in New York. He said, we know, we can't do anything, we cannot tell Quebec what to do, and we cannot tell Oka what to do. However, they sure as hell can tell us what to do, and that is through their silence. This is not acceptable.
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
Women are often on the forefront of organizing for environmental justice in their communities. Can you speak about the role of indigenous women in decolonization and in environmental protection in the face of this kind of environmental racism?
Onkwehón:we Rights Activist, As an Individual
According to the Great Law of Peace, Gayanashagowa, women hold title to the land, and we are the land protectors and the men must protect the women who are protecting the land. We don't have anything like that anymore. The women are at the forefront, and a few men, in trying to protect the land.
But people are afraid or they're bought off. I don't know who to go to. I don't know who to turn to. Nobody is capable of helping us. You invited me to this committee and I have less than three minutes to speak. You want to learn about environmental racism, yet there's no cultural safety in my presentation to you.
I don't think that this is a committee that really understands the stress and duress that indigenous peoples face from their own people. We are surrounded, not just by our own people but the racists in Oka, the racists in Montreal and Quebec and in Canada, and we're supposed to be the ones who provide the solutions that tell you what to do. We're telling you that this is under extreme circumstances of no safety whatsoever. We cannot call in the police. We cannot call in anybody because nobody wants to come to help us.
You can interrupt me, sir, if you want, but—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
No, I'm not trying to interrupt you.
This has been very enlightening. I hope you don't feel that your time here has been wasted—not at all. I think it has opened the eyes of a lot of people.
I'd like to give Ms. Thompson and Ms. Taylor Roy opportunities, as well, to ask questions, if that's okay.
Go ahead, Ms. Thompson.