Kennedy as mining expert offers advice to Ontario and Indians

Shamelessly trading on his famous name, a junior member of the Kennedy clan who is a lawyer working for The Natural Resource Defence Council has sent a “terse” letter to the Premier of Ontario telling him to snap to attention and change the 1800s law that enables Vancouver-based mining juniors to go onto aboriginal-claimed lands to seek uranium and platinum.  The full story and supporting documents are at this site: Wild Lands League 

This story is beginning to assume the proportions of a Disney comedy with a Tim Burton twist of tragedy, all over-animated by Pixar.  It is nigh on inconceivable that grown men could act thus: obdurate; venial; and arrogant.  And I include that upstart Kennedy kid in the league. 

Normally proud Canadians at dinner are quick to tell you how much they abhor Americans and their imperialism.  Yet here we have these same anti-Americans glibly adulating a young US lawyer.  What is wrong with this picture?

This story would be silly if it were not so serious.  While all politics is about access to and control of resources, this scrap between the white man and the Indian—and I use the word in its full American-pride sense—is the culmination of centuries of scrapping and treating between diametrically opposed interests.   The winner of this latest parley will gain control of policy, philosophy, religion, and economic benefit over vast areas north of the 49th parallel.  And there is no reason to suppose it will necessarily be any more benign than hitherto–just look at the ugly buildings and sprawling development on the indian territory near my house in Vancouver. 

Editorials in the “nice” newspapers wax sweet about the need for compromise, for mutual benefit, for accommodation of interests in this case.  The mining idustry has been surprising quiet—probably prefering to work behind the scenes.  The politicians have been inept.  But the pressure is building as this latest lauded American intervention by a junior politician of aristocratic name amply demonstrates. 

As I understand it the law of Canada is pretty clear–the Supreme Court has ruled often enough to leave no doubt.  It is easy enough to change a law that is more than 100 years old and that is clearly out of date and out of touch with modern reality.  I cannot believe that formalizing the rule of law in Ontario will mean the end of mining.  It may mean the end of silly exploration; it may mean the end of environmentally destructive exploration; it may even mean the end of cheap stock-market finagling by junior mining companies.  But I truly believe that if there is an honest ore-body and an honest lunie or toonie to be made, it will still be made.  As I have written before there is no imperative for every jurrsdiction to have its own gold mine, its own silver mine, its own uranium mine.  Maybe this case will bring sanity to exploration and mining where it is necessary and appropriate. 

I doubt anybody cares to take my advice on this case, but nevertheless here it is:

• Kennedy butt out
• Butt the indians out of jail
• Indians stop being butt-heads:  start talking sense and stop silly gesturing
• Ontario politicians move your butts and convene the legislature to do something
• Mining industry:  stay put on  your butts:  leave this one to the protagonists, you have little to gain and everything to loose; it really does not matter whom you negotiate with to get to mine; it is only a matter of time before the glitter of riches swamps love of the land and spiritual values.