OTTAWA—If Nathan Cullen took a step back from public life because he needed a break, he’s going to have to wait a little longer.

The former NDP MP finds himself in the middle of the Wet’suwet’en conflict, entrusted by the B.C. government and First Nations alike to try and mediate a solution to the protests that have brought rail transport to a halt across the country.

On Monday, his job became even more difficult.

Cullen told the Star Monday that the Ontario Provincial Police’s removal of a protest barricade near Tyendinaga “changes the dynamic” of the ongoing conversations between Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and government officials.

The direction of the overall conflict will be determined, in part, by the reaction to that police action by solidarity protesters from coast to coast. But the solution, Cullen said, must be found in Wet’suwet’en.

“I can see at least two scenarios (after the OPP raid), one where the urgency goes off, and … another where parties are determined to forge ahead,” said Cullen, reached in Smithers, B.C. Monday morning.

“(But) the source of this is not in Tyendinaga, it’s not in Kahnawake, it’s here. From my perspective, the need to resolve this dispute remains here, despite what happened this morning in Mohawk territory.”

Cullen is serving as a liaison between the Wet’suwet’en and the provincial government — with the blessing of the Wet’suwet’en people. But Cullen’s experience in Ottawa has also drawn him into discussions with the federal government, as the Liberal government tries to navigate a national protest movement while balancing commitments to First Nations reconciliation, economic development and environmental protections.

Despite the unpredictable direction of the protest movements and the seeming impasse between First Nations leaders and Justin Trudeau’s government, Cullen said there are “important … substantive” conversations still being held between the parties.

“It may seem counterintuitive, but it actually makes sense to me, that even while you’re having really, really challenging situations, there’s still the ability to keep talking,” Cullen said.

“And I would argue there needs to be the ability to keep talking, because the alternative is usually worse.”

Part of the difficulty in the discussions is that there are “layers behind everyone” at the table and they’re “not static,” Cullen said.

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“It’s also temporally really challenging. You’re dealing with things right now and (moving) forward, and you’re also always dealing with the past,” Cullen said.

“And some people might find that frustrating, and I say ‘well, until you’ve walked in someone’s shoes, don’t judge.”

Cullen pointed out that for some Wet’suwet’en people, the notion of forced removal from their territory isn’t ancient history — but lived experience.

“That’s people, that’s their grandmother, that’s their mother crying as their house is torched by the Indian agent,” Cullen said.

“So when people say oh, the past shouldn’t really so much inform what’s happening now, well, when you talk about forcible removal from a Wet’suwet’en person, it’s really different than talking about it to you or I.”

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