TML Daily expresses its outrage at the convictions brought down by a Vancouver court against the defendants in the so-called Gustafsen Lake trial. Until Canada stops treating what are clearly political problems as "law and order" issues, especially as concerns the First Nations, it will continue to disgrace itself and society's path to progress will remain firmly closed.
Turning political, economic and other differences within the polity into "law and order" issues is the method used by the ruling class to convert those who affirm their legitimate rights and hold differences of opinion into "outlaws", "criminals" and "undesirables". Federal and provincial laws and municipal by-laws are invoked to accomplish this. Not only is the bourgeoisie's democratic system fundamentally anti-democratic since it is an instrument of suppression of the people's struggle for their rights, but it does this in the name of law and order, rule of law, democracy and high ideals. The struggles of the people for their rights are presented in a manner which insinuates they have done something wrong, or that they have a legitimate cause which is then defended through illegitimate means. The fact that none of the "legitimate" means, the so-called due political process, are designed to address those legitimate issues is left hidden. Nay more, this rule of law and democratic process are perfected to suppress the expression of the issues of real concern to the people. This is the most telling indictment of the current arrangements which protect the state power of the bourgeoisie and deprive the members of the polity of their right to govern it in their interests.
TML Daily calls on Canadians to take a stand against the archaic institutions and hypocrisy. The courts have no business dealing with any issue as concerns the Native peoples' struggle to affirm their hereditary title to their lands. Condemn the convictions in the Gustafsen Lake Trial! Fight for the restoration of the hereditary rights of the Native peoples and demand that no issue which pertains to their rights as Native peoples be allowed to be taken into the courts. Canada cannot go into the 21st century on the basis of a 19th century colonial justice system!
Letters to: cpc-ml@fox.nstn.ca