Lone Voice Defies TFN Treaty Manipulation

Meet Bertha Williams of the Tsawwassen First Nation, who in a recent letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper pulled back the curtain on the TFN treaty process - revealing a pattern of taxpayer-funded government manipulation for treaty ratification. The treaty and related agreements pave the way to a massive government-driven expansion of nearby Deltaport, which the threatens the local environment, agricultural land, and TFN band members' very way of life.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• TFN
• treaty
• Tsawwassen
• First
• Nation
• Bertha
• Williams
• government
• manipulation
• Deltaport
• expansion
• environment
• port

[mak098]

in the end deltaport will expand

[damiengillis]

Says who? You? Or is that your pragmatic assesment of the situation? If you are for the expansion, than I expect nothing less than the tired old rhetoric of "it's a done deal." However, if you are opposed to the expansion, then I suggest you stop parroting what you are told by the government and industry. Their power comes from their ability to convince us their will is stronger than ours. Let us not forget that it is we who giveth them power, and so can we taketh away.

[mak098]

Alright then prove me wrong stop the expansion. Show me your power that you give lol, the world runs with ports take that away and we are in serious trouble, expansion is going down no matter what you can do or say. I heard that deltaport terminal 2 is now looking for a company for the 2nd terminal uh oh wheres the great power you speak of lol pathetic you cant change anything, because your a nobody.

[damiengillis]

Guess you missed the 3,000 people who gathered at South Delta Secondary today to put a stop to this nonsense (I was there and will send you my next youtube...of course you can catch it tonight on Global or tomorrow in every newspaper). I am not a nobody. Neither are you. We are the PEOPLE and this government--or the one we replace it with--will have to listen to us. Thanks for the inspiration. When it comes to strengthening your resolve, nothing compares to being told you can't do something. lol

[mak098]

(cough, cough) so hows the fight against the expansion going...lol looks like the 3rd berth is a just a few months away from being operational, also did you see the 3 new dock gantry's arrive. I guess your power showed us.

[damiengillis]

The third birth has been under construction since long before the TFN deal was signed. The big question is terminal two. With the global shipping industry in free fall it would be a colossal waste of tax dollars to pursue it - tax dollars we don't have thanks to a massive recession and deficit budgets as far as the eye can see. So it is certainly in all of our interests to stop it...No one ever said it wasn't an uphill battle against these governments. PS When did you become a misanthrope?

[petfishabc]

By the way, what plan does the TFN have when a highly toxic dump is brought onto the reserve? Who will clean it, who is testing it...This all sems very sneeky!

[petfishabc]

has anyone driven through this area(reserve)lately? All this talk about red tide and pollution, well go check out the land fill the TFN are making...Its a huge landfill dump truck after dump truck of earth being dumped within feet of the ocean...hey Bertha, you think that might contribute to red tide? Your web site says "fraser river is the life blood of our commuinty" yet your band is making an absolute mess of the water in the slough and in the ocean as a result.

[mmgreendreams]

Thanks for making this vide Damien!

-Monika

[KarlPerrin]

I loved it. Bertha is brave. She knows she can't be bought or co-opted. How can land be for sale. Did the kids vote? Did the millions of birds, fish, and whales vote? Did the people who breathe the pollution vote? Stop Gateway!