Angry protesters disrupted a speech by First Nations leader Phil Fontaine at the western University of Winnipeg on Wednesday, forcing it to cancel and reschedule the event.
Fontaine, who was a former leader of the Assembly of First Nations, accepted a job with TransCanada Pipeline, a natural gas and oil pipeline developer in December. Many aboriginal groups in western Canada are opposing efforts to build pipelines over their lands.
“How dare you, Phil”
Protesters were angry he took the job, saying he is not representing their interests and is not thinking of the environment. “How dare you, Phil!” charged protester Jo Seenie. “On your own people? Anishinaabe people? How dare you sell us out to work for the enemy that’s destroying this earth?”
Leader saddened
Fontaine said he was saddened by the confrontation and that he does stand up for the environment and First Nations. ““Have I been satisfied with everything that I’ve learned? Absolutely not. Have I expressed those views with industry? Absolutely,” he said. “[The protest] was not one of our shining moments as an aboriginal community.”
The university expressed disappointment in a statement: “Within the Indigenous traditions, all members of the community have a voice. In a university environment, we expect that people may disagree and hold strong views. We also expect that everyone is given the opportunity to state those views and to be heard. The protestors today employed intentionally disruptive tactics to silence all voices but their own. As a university, we regret that an opportunity for meaningful and respectful dialogue was prevented earlier today.”
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