Margaret Shkimba: Trudeau’s Grassy Narrows insult worth more than a shallow apology
Liberal party shows its underside applauding PM’s slight
The people in Grassy Narrows have been sick for a long time. The culprit is industrial pollution from the Reed Paper mine in Dryden that dumped 9,000 kilograms of mercury into the English-Wabigoon River poisoning the fish the people relied on as a dietary staple.
This happened in the 1960s and 70s. The devastation is generational; mercury accumulates in the body and is passed down to the next generation, who continue to accumulate to pass onto their children. The genetic devastation to the people is — well — genocidal; 90 per cent of the people in Grassy Narrows exhibit signs of mercury poisoning. The way both Ontario and the Canadian governments have turned away from this nightmare is a disgrace on all of us.
To be sure, Grassy Narrows isn’t the only First Nations community that’s suffered irreparable harm at the hands of settler society. Clean drinking water continues to remain but a faint hope in many communities across the country. Services and supports for children, from prenatal and maternity care to education and access to health care are inadequate to the overwhelming need after decades of hostile disregard by governments and the settler population. But Grassy Narrows, perhaps because of its long-standing history of over 50 years of protests, stands out as a prime example of the environmental racism that underpins economic development in Canada.
Cleanup is on the taxpayer; the provincial government indemnified the industrial giants responsible as part of a deal to sell the mine in 1979. In July 2018, that deal was upheld by the Ontario Supreme Court in response to an attempt by the provincial government to get them to do the right thing. They didn’t. In fact, they fought it with the high-priced lawyers they could afford with their millions of dollars in profits.
Weyerhaeuser, one of the two American companies named in the lawsuit, posted a stunning $117 million third quarter profit last year, paying a special dividend to shareholders. Meanwhile, there is evidence, disputed by the province, that contamination continues to leach into the river. Weyerhaeuser washed their hands with a $17-million compensation package. Estimates to clean up the poison and remediate the environment run into the tens of millions of dollars. The loss to the community in family, friends and hope for the future is incalculable.
This is the background to the protest last week at a Liberal fundraiser for party elites. And I use “elites” pointedly. This is not your typical Liberal supporter, who I believe infuse their politics with a love for humankind — peoplekind, if you will — and push for progressive policies that open opportunities to everyone. The Liberals I know who declare themselves such, are generous, kind and aware of, and believe in, the importance of truth and reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous people. They would never laugh or applaud the comments made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at his fancy party. They would be appalled.
Yet some did. Some of the party elites who paid big money (tax deductible, of course) in campaign donations found the prime minister funny when he thanked the protesters from Grassy Narrows for their donations as they were led away by security. Like a Yuk Yuk’s routine. The outcry was fast and furious, the rest of the country could see and hear what the elites at that party couldn’t, wouldn’t or didn’t see: that his comments in response to the human and environmental tragedy that is unfolding in Grassy Narrows is grossly inappropriate and totally dismissive of the humanity of the protesters. Sure, he apologized the next day, it’s not hard to say sorry; we’re Canadians, apologies roll off our tongues like water off a duck’s back. And nothing beats a genuine apology showing heartfelt remorse. Well, except not having to make an apology in the first place.
Trouble for the Liberals keeps tumbling out of the prime minister’s mouth. The corrupting seduction of power and those who wield it behind the scenes can confuse the priorities of even the best-intentioned politician. The obsequious lobbyist toadying for attention, financed by the deep-pockets of mega-industries, constructs an echo chamber of praise and adoration that can skew what were once bold and noble intentions now lost to political expediency and indemnification deals. It’s a private chamber unlocked by money.
The curtain never drops for politicians on the public stage. And with social media, the stage could be in reality small, but the online audience is huge; there is no do-over or rehearsal. Not only for the politicians but the people who support them. Is it all just an act, or is this who they are? The Prime Minister isn’t the only one who should be making an apology.