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“We need that revenue,” Chief Mike LeBourdais told Smyth. “If they shoot us in the foot on this, I’d like to know if that revenue will come from (B.C. Premier) John Horgan.”

LeBourdais is one of the pipeline’s most vocal supporters and Whispering Pines is one of 33 First Nations that have signed mutual benefit agreements, an under-reported fact that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau drew attention to during his media remarks last Sunday.

Meanwhile, Maureen Thomas, chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, is one of the leaders most vocally opposed to the project. She’s in a slightly different position than LeBourdais though. While the Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s Burrard Inlet 3 reserve is very close to where the pipeline concludes in Burnaby, it doesn’t run across any of their land.

So you have situations where First Nations most directly affected by the pipeline support it and those nearby but not actually on it opposing it. If this tells us anything it’s that perhaps progressive politicians and activists should stop rolling out any sentence that begins with “First Nations oppose…” because to suggest there’s unity on the issue just isn’t true.

While there’s something of a national conversation going on right now about “cultural appropriation” and stereotypes as it relates to First Nations in arts and culture, where’s the condemnation for this stereotyping of Aboriginal attitudes to economic growth?

The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business reported in a recent survey that back in 2011 there were 43,000 small businesses run by Aboriginal Canadians, with only 10% of these being start-ups. The number one grievance of these business owners? They need greater access to equity and funding to keep on growing.

Since we know the Aboriginal population is young and growing, maybe our politicians and activists should stop just using First Nations as anti-development props and instead support the pro-growth attitudes that are clearly alive and well in their communities.