Below is an open letter Greenpeace Canada is addressing to the BC Premier, RCMP Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Strachan and BC Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation requesting a public condemnation and a transparent investigation into the April 19 attacks on the Tiny House Warriors. We are echoing and supporting Amnesty International’s original letter written on April 27th. 

Unidentified attackers brutally assaulted members of the Tiny House Warriors, a group of Indigenous Secwepemc Land Defenders, dedicated to protecting their lands the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) pipeline and the associated “man camps” that come with the construction.

You can show your support for the Tiny House Warriors by sharing this open letter and bringing more attention to the lack of public statements from authorities condemning this attack.

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Addressed to: 

Honourable John Horgan, Premier of British Columbia

Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Strachan, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, “E” Division, 14200 Green Timbers Way, Surrey, B.C.

Minister Scott Fraser, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Government of British Columbia, Room 323, Parliament Buildings, Victoria, BC  

May 7, 2020

Dear Premier Horgan, Deputy Commissioner Strachan, and Minister Fraser,

Greenpeace Canada is addressing this open letter to you in support of Amnesty International’s letter dated April 27th, which documents the attack on the Tiny House Warriors that took place April 19th. The letter requests a transparent investigation, conducted with the full confidence of the Tiny House Warriors and Sewecpemc leadership, protection measures as requested by the Tiny House Warriors and a public condemnation of the attack.

As yet unidentified attackers brutally attacked members of the Tiny House Warriors, including Kanahus Manuel, their leader and spokesperson. The Tiny House Warriors are a group of Secwepemc Land Defenders, dedicated to protecting their lands from the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) pipeline and the associated “man camps” that come with the construction. During the attack a male Indigenous guest of the Tiny House Warriors was physically assaulted. 

Indigenous communities defending their lands and rights too often become the target of racism and violence in Canada. We therefore echo Amnesty International’s calls for the BC government and RCMP to: 

-Issue a public statement that condemns this hate crime and makes clear that this behaviour will not be accepted 

-Act to protect the Tiny House Warriors from further attacks in accordance with their requests. 

-Conduct a transparent investigation that holds the full confidence of the Tiny House Warriors and of Secwepemc leadership.

We welcome the recent news reported by The Tyee that the RCMP are considering this a hate crime in their investigation. This latest incident makes it clear once again, that Canadian society and authorities have much more work to do to root out the racism, hatred, and ignorance that leads to such hate crimes. The RCMP and provincial governments have an important role to play in making this shift in Canadian society, that is why we request a public statement condemning these attacks on the Tiny House Warriors.

We find it concerning that in the same Tyee article, it is reported that the interview between RCMP and Kanahus Manuel, a key witness to the hate crime, ended due to the apparent treatment of Manuel by the RCMP officer being deemed inappropriate by her lawyer. If a transparent investigation is to happen and the perpetrators of this attack found and brought to justice, the RCMP must be able to work constructively and fairly with the victims of this hate crime, key witnesses, the Tiny House Warriors and the Secwepemc leadership.

We ask that the RCMP together with the relevant authorities within the BC government, including the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, work together to ensure a fair and transparent investigation takes place that can be fully supported by the Tiny House Warriors and Secwepemc leadership.

We look forward to your next steps on this matter.

Sincerely,

Priyanka Vittal – Legal Counsel – Greenpeace Canada