Documentary Reflection

March 24, 2022 By: Christopher Anyadubalu

The recent report that the Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation and Minegoziibe Anishinaabe in the Northern Manitoba are suing the Manitoba government and logging giant Louisiana-Pacific Canada for commercial timber cutting on their traditional lands.[1] The two communities team up in environmental campaign against logging and urging the court to stop the Louisiana-Pacific from timber cutting because it would hurt their people, their environment, animals/wildlife, and their sources of traditional medicines.[2]

I cherish their campaign to conserve the environment owing to the incessant nature and method of timber cutting in the region for commercial purposes. Hence the important lesson, “Do not butcher your forest, but cut only the right trees at the right time, so that nature does the restocking.”[3] Civil disobedience regarding environmental movement would help to create public awareness and enlightenment, and consequently remind the government to establishment more major protected areas in the natural forest regions than what was made in 1999.[4]

The proposed use of Hetch Hetchy by the city of San Francisco in the struggle to provide a water supply for future needs is recommendable. The ravaging commercialism to acquire wealth and a total contempt for Nature impact the environment and thus give rise to civil disobedience.[5] The First Nation Indians made a good move in suing the Louisiana-Pacific Canada. If the court fails to settle the environmental issue and logging continues in their environment, it will likely lead to civil disobedience comparable to the struggle that took place over Hetch-Hetchy.[6] If adequate move is not made to satisfy the needs of the environmental campaigns, civil disobedience might spread to the wider Manitoba region like the movements to end Covid-19 restrictions (Canadian trucker convoy).[7]The historical “Hetch-Hetchy” and “Freedom Convoy” seemed not to have achieved their absolute goals (at least mask-mandate partially lifted in Manitoba and some other provinces), but I agree that civil disobedience is effective, creates public awareness, and appeals to the conscience of the society for good.

[1] Darrell Stranger. “First Nations in Manitoba suing province, company over logging on traditional lands.” Apt National News on 27th February 2022, https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/first-nations-in-manitoba-suing-province-company-over-logging-on-traditional-lands/

[2] CBC News. “2nd Manitoba First Nation seeks to halt commercial logging on traditional lands.” CBC News · Posted on 24th February 2022, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/logging-lawsuit-porcupine-mountain-wuskwi-sipihk-1.6363514

[3] Alexander Michael Koroleff. “Fig.1. Woodlot management aims at continuous and increasing profit.” Cartoon. Originally published in Practical Woodlot Management: How to Use the Forest Soundly and Profitably by Alexander Michael Koroleff. (Montreal: Canadian Forestry Association, 1948). http://www.cif-ifc.org/forest-history/.

[4] Gina Allen. “Logs to Lumber – The Sawmill Process.” Manitoba Wilderness and Forestry, Published December 22, 2018, Retrieved 19th March 2022: http://mbforestryassoc.ca/logs-to-lumber-the-sawmill-process/

[5] Roderick F. Nash. “Chapter Ten: Hetch Hetchy.” In Wilderness and the American Mind, 5th ed. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2014: 161.

[6] National Archives, “Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates,” The Center for Legislative Archives, last reviewed 25th August 2017. https://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/hetch-hetchy#:~:text=Between%201908e%20and%201913%2C%20Congress,provide%20a%20steady%20water%20supply.

[7] Brooklyn Neustaeter. “Two in three Canadians say trucker convoy protests were ineffective: Nanos survey.” CTV News, Published Friday, February 25, 2022: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/two-in-three-canadians-say-trucker-convoy-protests-were-ineffective-nanos-survey-1.5796383