I am furious not only at the glib and tone-deaf response of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to protesters from Grassy Narrows at the recent Liberal fundraiser in Toronto, but at the federal government’s total lack of action on over 50 years of mercury poisoning, illness, and death in Grassy Narrows.

I first heard about Grassy Narrows when I moved to Canada in 1979. It astonished me then that nothing had been done in over a decade. It appalls me now, especially when I compare it to the international attention and immediate action that occurred when E. coli killed six people in Walkerton, Ont., in 2000.

What happened in Walkerton was appalling. But contrast Canadians’ and Canadian governments’ responses to problems with the water in Walkerton with our response to problems with the soil and water in Grassy Narrows. Successive federal and provincial governments have been playing political football and denying responsibility for Indigenous health and welfare in Grassy Narrows for more than 50 years.

That’s half a century. Think about that. No government would allow this to happen in any non-Indigenous community. Why have they allowed it in Grassy Narrows? And why have Canadian citizens not held them to account?

We are a rich country, with one of the highest standards of living and average lifespans in the world. But First Nations peoples in this country have life expectancies that are comparable to people in Asia, while Inuit peoples have lifespans comparable to people in Africa. Canada is a First World country, but First Nations peoples are essentially Second World citizens, while Inuit peoples are Third World citizens. This is shameful.

I was heartened when Trudeau was elected and he said, in several early speeches and in his mandate letter to the Hon. Dr. Bennett, “No relationship is more important to me and to Canada than the one with Indigenous Peoples. It is time for a renewed, nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous Peoples, based on recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership.”

I have been extremely disappointed, however, to see over the course of this government’s mandate that those words have been little more than window-dressing. The federal government continues to fight successive Canadian Human Rights Tribunal rulings that have required it to better fund education, health care, and a host of other inequalities faced by Indigenous and Inuit peoples.

Even after the then-Hon. Dr. Philpott promised action on the mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows over a year ago, nothing has happened.

Trudeau has apologized for callously dismissing protesters who tried to bring this to his attention at a Liberal fundraiser. That is not enough. I do not want the prime minister to apologize again. Nor do I want him to resign.

The only adequate response is immediate action in Grassy Narrows. That means the federal government should release the money necessary to clean up the mercury and compensate the people of Grassy Narrows for half a century of government stonewalling. It must do so in an equal partnership with the people of Grassy Narrows. And it must do so now.

Do not promise money to be spent later. The people of Grassy Narrows have been protesting, sickening, and dying for over 50 years.

Mr. Trudeau, show that you are truly sorry by sending government scientists, doctors, and engineers to Grassy Narrows to fix this problem before the next election. Ask the people of Grassy Narrows what they need. Then open the federal coffers to pay for it, and to compensate the people of Grassy Narrows for half a century of wrongful treatment.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

It does not matter whether this is a federal or provincial matter. Fix it now and fight it out with the government of Ontario later.

The Liberal government of Canada made a public promise to the people of Grassy Narrows and Canada over a year ago. Honour it.

Karen Wendling is associate professor at the department of philosophy, the University of Guelph.

Read more about: