Karagianis Member's Statement: Protection of First Nations Heritage Sites

M. Karagianis: I rise today to talk about shared heritage and the exceptional work of first nations citizens in my community to preserve and protect sacred places that are under threat. The middens, burial grounds and other traces of habitation that are being unearthed on our ocean shores and along creeks and rivers in British Columbia tell the story of occupation since before the pyramids. These places are our Stonehenge, our Machu Picchu — mysterious, sacred and irreplaceable. Yet they are under threat from development, from construction and even from the weather. Once they are gone, they will be gone forever.

There are Songhees First Nation leaders in my community, dedicated individuals like Cheryl Bryce and Ron Sam, who believe more must be done to protect and preserve this history. Three years ago, when ancient caves were found on Spaet Mountain, they fought to save them. But they were lost, and the caves were destroyed. Sadly, it is a story that is repeated over and over again across the province. Every time we lose a sacred site, we lose a part of ourselves.

By standing up for first nations heritage, Cheryl and Ron are standing up for all of those who have gone before and all of those who are yet to come.

As writer Stephen Hume put it so well in a recent article: "We are all citizens of B.C. together, first nations and settler society, fused by our braided history. When we permit the desecration of important first nations sites, it is our shared heritage that we abuse and our children's legacies that we steal."

I hope the House will join me in recognizing the efforts of leaders in the archaeological community and first nation leaders like Cheryl Bryce and Ron Sam. They speak to our conscience and remind us all of the urgency that we must do better before it is too late.

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