The
      Oka
      coral:
      what
      now?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘Commentary
      by
      Pat
      Brethour
      The
      Cord
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I’ve
      always
      taken
      a
      certain
      pride
      in
      my
      fellow
     
     
      Canadians.
      Always
      thought
      that
      we
      were
      different
     
     
      than
      most--more
      tolerant,
      slow
      to
      anger
      and
      quick
     
     
      to
      forgive.
      In
      a
      smug
      sort
      of
      way,
      I
      thought
      we
      were
     
     
      better
      than
      the
      bigots
      of
      the
      world.
      Until
      this
      sum-
     
     
      mer.
     
     
      Starting
      off
      with
      the
      Meech
      Lake
      fiasco,
      and
      the
     
     
      wonderful,
      wacky
      antics
      of
      the
      Alliance
      for
      the
     
     
      Preservation
      of
      English
      in
      Canada
      (you
      know--the
     
     
      group
      that
      drew
      a
      parallel
      between
      AIDS
      and
     
     
      French),
      my
      perception
      of
      Canadians
      ran
      into
      the
     
     
      brick
      wall
      of
      a
      brutal
      reality--Canadian
      bigotry.
     
    

    
     
      You
      may
      scoff,
      and
      attribute
      APEC’s
      actions
      to
     
     
      the
      acts
      of
      the
      fantical
      fringe.
      And
      I
      suppose
      you
     
     
      could
      have
      dismissed
      these
      actions
      as
      exceptions
      to
     
     
      the
      general
      rule
      of
      Canadian
      tolerance.
     
    

    
     
      But
      then
      came
      Oka.
      If
      you
      saw
      the
      pictures
      of
     
     
      Mohawk
      families
      being
      stoned
      by
      a
      bloodthirsty
     
     
      mob,
      you
      could
      no
      longer
      dismiss
      anything.
      Be-
     
     
      cause
      when
      push
      came
      to
      shove,
      when
      being
     
     
      tolerant
      took
      more
      than
      mealymouthed
      platitudes,
     
     
      we
      copped
      out.
      For
      far,
      far
      worse
      than
      the
      mob
      in,
     
     
      and
      around
      Oka,
      was
      the
      witch
      hunt
      atmosphere
     
     
      that
      pervaded
      the
      rest
      of
      the
      country.
      "Send
      the
     
     
      army
      in--kick
      some
      Indian
      ass!"
      Such
      was
      the
      cry
     
     
      of
      not
      just
      the
      lunatic
      fringe,
      but
      of
      almost
      the
     
     
      entire
      country.
     
    

    
     
      It’s
      easy
      enough
      to
      look
      at
      the
      CBC
      footage
      of
     
     
      menacing
      Mohawk
      Warriors
      standing
      toe-to-toe
     
     
      with
      Canadian
      soldiers,
      and
      condemn
      the
      natives’
     
     
      actions.
      What
      you
      didn’t
      see
      on
      ue
      tube
      on
      Satur-
     
     
      day
      and
      Sunday,
      were
      the
      years
      of
      broken
      promises
     
     
      and
      broken
      dreams
      suffered
      by
      Canada’s
      natives.
     
    

    
     
      You
      didn’t
      see
      a
      proud
      independent
      people’s
     
     
      culture
      twisted
      and
      degraded,
      with
      a
      commentary
     
     
      by
      Peter
      Mansbridge.
      None
      of
      this
      will
      ever
      be
     
     
      shown
      on
      The
      Journal.
     
    

    
     
      For
      too
      long
      we
      were
      all
      too
      content
      to
      let
      the
     
     
      natives
      fester
      in
      the
      squalor
      we
      had
      constructed
      for
     
     
      them.
      And
      then,
      when
      they
      had
      had
      enough
      lies,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      enough
      hydro
      projects
      flooding
      their
      hunting
     
     
      grounds,
      enough
      golf
      courses
      being
      built
      on
      their
     
     
      burial
      grounds,
      they
      drew
      the
      line
      in
      the
      only
      way
     
     
      that
      could
      work.
      Force.
      Where
      reason
      and
      patience
     
     
      could
      not
      prevail,
      perhaps
      the
      barrel
      of
      a
      gun
      could.
     
    

    
     
      Of
      course
      the
      powers-that-be
      could
      not
      let
      the
     
     
      natives’
      challenge
      go
      unanswered.
      So
      in
      went
      the
     
     
      Québec
      police
      force
      (an
      organization
      not
      particular-
     
     
      ly
      noted
      for
      its
      compassion)
      to
      teach
      the
      uppity
      na-
     
     
      tives
      a
      lesson.
      Instead
      of
      fleeing,
      the
      natives
      stood
     
     
      firm,
      and
      in
      the
      resulting
      melée,
      a
      Québec
      police
     
     
      officer
      died.
     
    

    
     
      The
      outcry
      was
      immediate
      and
      predictable:
      The
     
     
      Indians
      are
      out
      of
      control.
      Break
      them
      down.
      Bring
     
     
      the
      ’murderers’
      to
      justice.
     
    

    
     
      Of
      course,
      the
      fact
      that
      it
      may
      well
      have
      been
      a
     
     
      police
      bullet
      that
      killed
      the
      man
      was
      inconsequen-
     
     
      tial.
      All
      that
      mattered
      was
      that
      the
      majority
      was
     
     
      threatened
      and
      needed
      to
      strike
      back
      at
      that
      threat.
      _
     
    

    
     
      So
      in
      went
      the
      Canadian
      army
      (ordered
      in
      by
      a
     
     
      provincial
      premier!),
      to
      douse
      the
      flames
      of
      native
     
     
      defiance.
      The
      past
      week
      has
      seen
      the
      inexorable
     
     
      tightening
      of
      the
      noose
      around
      the
      necks
      of
      the
     
     
      Mohawks.
      The
      barriers
      at
      Chateaugay
      have
      been
     
     
      dismantled,
      and
      those
      at
      Oka
      are
      sure
      to
      come
     
     
      down
      soon.
      All
      that
      remains
      is
      the
      Mohawk
      War-
     
     
      riors’
      angry
      vows
      to
      protect
      their
      land
      and
      people.
      1
     
     
      doubt
      if
      that
      will
      be
      enough
      to
      prevent
      them
      from
     
     
      being
      screwed
      yet
      again.
     
    

    
     
      One
      of
      my
      friends
      said
      to
      me,
      "Oka
      was
      in-
     
     
      evitable”.
      In
      a
      way,
      that’s
      true.
      Not
      the
      actual
      event
     
     
      itself--a
      smattering
      of
      common
      sense
      could
      have
     
     
      prevented
      that
      easily
      enough.
      What
      was
      inevitable
     
     
      was
      the
      bitter
      lesson
      Oka
      taught
      me,
      and
      I
      think,
      a
     
     
      lot
      of
      other
      Canadians.
      The
      lesson
      was
      this:
      we
     
     
      have
      no
      cause
      for
      smugness,
      no
      reason
      for
      quiet
     
     
      pride
      in
      our
      ’tolerance’,
     
    

    
     
      The
      Physical
      barriers
      may
      be
      down
      at
      Oka,
      but
     
     
      the
      barriers
      of
      prejudice
      and
      bigotry
      are
      only
      begin-
     
     
      ning
      to
      go
      up
      in
      Canada.
      And
      it
      will
      be
      a
      long
      time
     
     
      before
      any
      of
      us
      can
      ever
      be
      smug
      again.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      September
      20th,
      1990
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      30