By Andrea Loewen
@ms.andreajoy

A lot happened last year, and we’re not just talking about COVID-19. Or the sharknado of American politics. When it comes to Acts of Resistance, there was a lot to fight for. Here is a look back on some of the biggest events from the past year, including updates on where they’re at now:

Wet’suwet’en Protests and Rail Blockades

It may feel like this happened decades ago, but it’s actually been a year: from January until March of 2020, there was major upheaval across the country due to the Coastal Gaslink pipeline moving through the Wet’suwet’en territory without approval from the hereditary chiefs.

While opposition to the pipeline dates back to its inception, the hereditary chiefs kicked off 2020 by ordering the eviction of RCMP and Coastal Gaslink employees from their land. Later that month, protests spread across the country, with blockades at the BC Legislature, The Port of Vancouver, and on railroads and major routes as far as the Maritime provinces.

The result? Protests and blockades faded from the news as the pandemic took hold. Hereditary chiefs were successful in getting a meeting with provincial leaders to create a memorandum of understanding regarding land rights, title, and protocols for addressing future projects, however, this did not apply to the Coastal Gaslink pipeline. Construction of the pipeline, while slowed due to COVID-19, is still in progress, as is the resistance of the hereditary chiefs.

Black Lives Matter

This movement began long before 2020 and its work will continue long after, but was a big year for Black Lives Matter. Many cite the May 25 murder of George Floyd as the spark for the summer’s global protests.

It wasn’t the only incident to make waves, however. On that same day, Christian Carter, a Black bird-watcher, encountered a white woman in a park who called the police and falsely claimed a Black man was threatening her. On February 23, Ahmaud Arbery was shot while jogging in his neighbourhood by a white father and son who claimed they thought he was a burglar. And on March 13, Breonna Taylor was shot in her bed by police. 

These, of course, are just the high profile cases that had video footage and international news coverage. Protests broke out across the United States, and the world, including calls to defund the police, decriminalize drugs and sex work, end for-profit prisons, and remove police from schools.

The result? Minneapolis City Council voted to disband their police force and invest in a community-based public safety program. Another 13 cities in the U.S. have taken steps towards defunding their police forces. Here in Vancouver, City Council voted in the summer in favour of defunding the Vancouver Police Department, but in December, funding levels were maintained (this was despite the VPD’s request for a budget increase).

Mi’kmaq Fisheries

On September 17, the Mi’kmaq fishers of Nova Scotia acted on a 21-year-old order that allowed them to earn a “moderate livelihood” off fishing year-round by opening a lobster fishery. In response, settler fishers who, claiming they were concerned about the environmental impact of off-season catches, were recorded threatening and harassing Indigenous fishers, dangerously cutting their lines, stealing and killing their lobster, and burning a lobster pound to the ground.

The results are mixed. In November, Clearwater Foods announced a multi-billion dollar sale to a partnership including a coalition of Mi’kmaq First Nations. This put the Indigenous fishers in a powerful position of ownership. However, later that month, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans seized Mi’kmaq lobster traps, demonstrating ongoing inconsistencies in the federal government’s rulings and actions. Today, the situation is as of yet unresolved, with tensions high between all parties and harvest season approaching.

1492 Land Back Lane

On July 19, about two dozen land defenders from the Six Nations walked onto the construction site for a new housing development called McKenzie Meadows in Caledonia, Ontario, stopped construction, and set up camp. The land in question is a part of the Haldimand Tract, territory that was guaranteed to the Six Nations in 1784.

It is now referred to as 1492 Land Back Lane.

In the months that followed there were sometimes violent arrests of land defenders, including the troubling arrest of a journalist who was released on condition that he would not return to the site.

The result? The Haldimand Tract continues to be occupied by the land defenders, who have erected some “tiny homes” to make it through the cold winter. The last update on the 1492 Land Back Lane website is on October 31 from Skyler Williams.

From Wet’suwet’en territory to the Mi’kmaq fishers, all these resistors still need our support. Let your city council know you want to see the funds for police redirected into social and mental supports and let your provincial and federal representatives know your stance on Indigenous land rights. We can make 2021 better than 2020 if we keep resisting!