The chief of Shoal Lake 40 First Nation is pleased to hear the Liberals would fund an all-season road to his community if the Grits form the next government, but he’s not taking sides.
Liberal Leader, Justin Trudeau committed to fund the 28-kilometre Freedom Road between Shoal Lake 40 and the TransCanada Highway on Saturday.
The campaign-styled promise came nine days after Winnipeg and Manitoba officials visited to Shoal Lake to announce they would each fund a third of Freedom Road’s construction. The federal Conservatives repeated a year-old $1-million commitment to design the road. On behalf of Canada, no construction commitment was made.
On Sunday, Shoal Lake 40 Chief Erwin Redsky said he appreciates the urgency the issue is taking on the national stage due to grassroots support across Canada but doesn’t intend to let party politics get in the way of the ultimate cause.
“I’m pleased to hear that, but it’s never been a political issue for us. It’s a basic human right to survival and it’s a basic human rights issue,” Redsky said.
“We hope any government that sits in power can make that determination.”
Redsky calls his community near the Ontario/Manitoba a “man-made island.” The peninsula was cut off from the mainland when an aqueduct was built in 1914 to pump Shoal Lake’s water 150 kilometres into Winnipeg. The First Nation wasn’t consulted or accommodated.
As a result, many people have drowned crossing the channel between the reserve and the mainland during the winter freeze and spring thaw.
Those conditions have provided Winnipeggers with drinking water for a century but Shoal Lake 40 has been under a boil-water advisory for 18 years.
The Canadian Museum of Human Rights, Amnesty International, the Council of Canadians and the have all called the situation a violation of human rights.
While petitions and crowd funding campaigns circulate online, Redsky has formal commitments from both Manitoba and Winnipeg to build the road. No matter which party governs in Ottawa, the chief wants its leader to make his community an example of the spirit of treaty.
“Not too many communities can bring two thirds of the partners to Canada and that’s what we’ve done. We’re getting support and getting pressure to bring Canada on board,” he said.
“It will depend who’s the government of the day and we’ll continue that pressure and continue that partnership that we need to make Shoal Lake 40 that model of reconciliation. Shoal Lake has been the model of the broken relationship for the last 100 years and we have that opportunity in front of us with any sitting government in Canada to be partner with Shoal Lake 40.
Hopefully the road will be a big first step toward reconciliation”
