Two Faced

As Canada announces its endorsement
of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the
Canadian government is simultaneously working toward the privatization
of Indian Reserves, a move that Native legal scholars describe as
disastrous for First Nations. Noting that the endorsement of the
landmark 2007 human rights instrument is mainly symbolic, the Canadian
government expressly denies the application of international law in
Canada–a two-faced endorsement at best.

Much like its
anti-Indian partner the United States, Canada has belatedly discovered
that part of fighting indigenous sovereignty is to appear sympathetic to
the native societies while doing everything in its power to undermine
aboriginal freedom and unity. But while the United States pretends it
needs more time to consider whether Indians are human beings worthy of
equal respect, Canada openly states that it doesn’t want to close off
any avenues for taking more of the remaining Indian land and resources.

At
least the Canadian government got one thing right in its press release:
UNDRIP is an aspirational document; by paying lip service to it while
marshaling corporate and government forces against it is possibly the
worst form of hypocrisy.