Among the media-academia-political class, it has become the norm to start off any announcement with a land acknowledgment. “I acknowledge I am on the traditional unceded territories of the Sto:lo peoples,” for instance.
Some even write these acknowledgments into their email signatures. (Usually these are the same types who put their pronouns there too).
Over the years, these land acknowledgments have become more self-deprecating, with some settler Canadians and Canadians with immigrant backgrounds declaring they are “guests” or “visitors” on so-called indigenous lands, or even “uninvited guests” on “stolen land.”
I have never once recited a land acknowledgment. In fact, by being born on Planet Earth – specifically on the land mass we call Canada – I was invited here by some sort of spiritual or natural force, so I would never refer to myself as an “uninvited guest” just because I am not a Canadian indigenous person who migrated from Asia via the Bering land bridge.
Land acknowledgments have been criticized even by indigenous people as being superficial and meaningless without concrete steps to return land.
However, a precedent may have been set last week in British Columbia making those land acknowledgments people have been uncritically reciting for the last several years actually have some consequences.
Two First Nations – Lil’wat First Nation and N’Quatqua First Nation – decided unilaterally on August 23 that they were immediately shutting down public access to Joffre Lakes Provincial Park so that members of their two nations could privately go berry-picking on the grounds.
The First Nations’ statement said they would reopen the park five weeks later, on National Truth and Reconciliation Day (September 30).
According to BC Parks, Joffre Lakes is BC’s most popular provincial park. In 2019, 196,000 visitors enjoyed its famous turquoise waters and gorgeous mountain scenery, with weekends in the summer season being the busiest time.
As the park sees a drop-off in demand after Labour Day, the nations did not state why they couldn’t gather berries and herbs while people from other ethnic backgrounds are hiking in the park.
They cited the United Nations Declaration of Rights for Indigenous Peoples as one of the documents supporting their assertion of land rights.
In a statement to True North, environment minister George Heyman said, “My staff and I have been in active conversations with members of the Nations as we work to find a solution that meets everyone’s needs. To support these important conversations, at this time Joffre Lakes Park will remain inaccessible to the public through to Friday, September 1, while these conversations continue.”
The government is saying public reopening is September 1, and the First Nations are saying September 30. There must be a power struggle happening behind the scenes.
True North asked the Ministry of Environment how much taxpayer money is funneled to maintain Joffre Lakes park every year, but did not receive a reply in time for publication.
According to the province’s budget, the BC government estimates it will spend $69.6 million on parks, recreation sites and trails this year.
It should go without saying: British Columbia provincial parks are funded by taxpayers, so we should all be able to enjoy these public use lands. Our province also relies on tourism for $13.5 billion of revenue, so shunting tourists doesn’t seem like a smart move.
The park shutdown is reminiscent of when the government closed provincial parks and put up caution tape in childrens’ playgrounds during the devastating Covid lockdowns.
We know it is healthy for humans to hike and forest-bathe: moving your body in nature reduces stress, boosts creativity, and improves mental health and body strength.
It was cruel when the government took away peoples’ ability to access public parks in 2020, and it is cavalier for two First Nations to do the same three years later.
