It discourages first nations, especially the band members who don't want to take sides in that kind of argument. There were first nations on that job site that night, and they were scared. People were running around with axes and fireworks and flares and firing at them. It's not the first time this has happened. In the early LNG development days, the aboriginal workers who signed on to do the preliminary work for LNG development had their cars keyed and their tires flattened.
Even today, I'm called an “apple”. Do you know what that means? It means red skin on the outside and white on the inside. I'm not even red on the outside. I get called a sellout. I get called all kinds of things.
I think the objective is clear. If we want aboriginals to get away from the violence of poverty, then we have to think about doing something different. Right now there are a lot of silent majority first nations that agree with what I'm saying and doing. As a case in point, every first nation from Prince George to Kitimat, 22 first nations, signed on to LNG. They signed on to forestry agreements and mining agreements. They're doing it with the highest environmental standards in mind, but also to get their people away from the Indian Act and away from poverty.