RBC's 'aboriginal adviser' Won't Stop Protests

Adrian Wyld, Canadian Press, September 3rd 2009

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Amid all the unknowns of how the 2010 Winter Olympics
will resonate nationally and globally, one question will be answered next month when the Olympic torch begins its long journey across the country:
will protests derail the relay and turn what's being billed as Canada's
flame into Canada's shame?

For the two corporate sponsors spending millions apiece to attach their
names to the torch relay, the thought of a series of protests like the
ones that followed last year's Beijing torch run is loathsome.

Coca-Cola won't comment much on the potential for protest, saying it
believes the entire country is proud and happy to host the Olympics and
the relay itself.

But a move this week by the other sponsor, the Royal Bank of Canada,
suggests the concerns are very real.

RBC announced it had hired Phil Fontaine, former chief of the Assembly of
First Nations, to advise the bank on First Nations issues, and
specifically the torch relay.

The torch's route is scheduled to travel through 115 aboriginal
communities between Oct. 30, when it arrives in Victoria, and its arrival
for the open of the Games next Feb. 12 following a cross-Canada run.
Anti-Olympic activists see Fontaine's appointment as a sign their protests
are working.

"It's almost like a good thing for us," said Gord Hill, a member of the
Olympic Resistance Network. "Now our opponents feel the need to respond to
the potential for protest so they are going to hire this ex-AFN guy."
Fontaine was vague about his goals for the relay.

"We want to make sure that we are able to maximize the involvement of
First Nations and the aboriginal community in the torch relay," he said in
an interview with The Canadian Press.

"The 2010 Olympics is more than a sporting event, it's a cultural
celebration, and it's a unique opportunity for First Nations and
aboriginal communities to speak to the world. "

When pressed, RBC wouldn't say whether Fontaine is being brought on to
ease any tensions that might come up during the torch relay.
Spokesman Mathew Gierasimczuk said in an email Fontaine will run with the
torch and review the relay route and aboriginal communities the torch will
visit.

"Phil's knowledge of aboriginal people and communities in Canada is
unmatched and we are proud to have Phil's counsel to help maximize the
involvement of these communities in the Olympic Torch Run," said
Gierasimczuk.

But fear that protests from aboriginal communities and others who support
First Nation grievances could undermine the Olympics has been present
since Vancouver was in the bid phase.

Among the first issues in securing the Games was making sure the Tsleil
Wautuh, Squamish, Musqueam and Lil'Wat, whose traditional lands from
Whistler down to Vancouver are host to the Olympics, would consent to the
Games taking place.

That support translated into multi-million-dollar payouts for the four
bands but also a historic seat at the planning table.

Aboriginal themes run through much of the 2010 Games, and the four host
nations, as they have become known, have also capitalized on the
opportunity by creating a business society to control Games-time
merchandising, aboriginal art and culture involvement and job creation.
Overall, Olympic organizers say they have enthusiastic and warm support
from aboriginal communities for the Games.

In deference to the role fire plays in First Nations culture, the flame
will be guarded around the clock by a rotating team of 12 young
aboriginals. More than 100 elders will have the opportunity to bless the
flame more than once a day.

All of the 71 First Nations language groups are being represented by torch
bearers and aboriginal themes are expected to be present in many of the
celebrations being planned across the country.

"What's really important to us, what we want to achieve is to shed a light
on the people and places in Canada, and the aboriginal story is a critical
part of that," said Suzanne Reeves, the organizing committee's
communication director for torch relay.

Not all the stories are happy ones, and that's something organizers and
First Nations leaders acknowledge. All say they support the idea of
protest along the route, as long as it's lawful and allows the
celebrations to be peaceful.

But though they won't comment on it publicly, privately some people within
the organizing committee admit there is concern. The risk is seen as
highest in communities with limited access and the torch will be run
through areas that have had disruptive aboriginal protest in the past.
Tyendinaga is one such location. Earlier this year, protesters there
blocked a bridge that spanned Ontario's Bay of Quinte, about 200
kilometres east of Toronto, in solidarity with another First Nations band
upset over the arming of border guards.

But Chief R. Donald Maracle says he's not heard of any protests being
planned around the relay and that his community sees it as a positive
opportunity.

"First Nations, in a lot of government initiatives and policies, have been
excluded," he said. "To be included is certainly appropriate and
reflective of what Canada is."

Aboriginal issues have galvanized Games opponents. The Olympic Resistance
Network is uniting under the banner of No Olympics on Stolen Native Land,
a reference to the fact British Columbia has no land treaties with many of
its bands.

The concerns among aboriginal groups extend beyond politics and encompass
environmental and social damage they say is caused by the Games and by
extension its sponsors.

RBC has been a particular target of anti-Games activists in the past, with
branches having their windows smashed. Threats have also circulated
against the banks's chief executive officer Gordon Nixon.

Hiring on Fontaine may give the bank a direct pipeline to aboriginal
leadership, which will help in their long term business strategy; several
leaders suggested that with his depth and breadth of knowledge it could
also help the bank understand the serious financial issues plaguing many
communities.

But any short-term attempt to ease tensions around the Games could fail.
"Having him there as a well-known, high-profile politician, that's what
they're mostly betting on," said Hill.

"With the grassroots people, Fontaine holds no credibility."
Though leaders respect Fontaine and his support of the Games, there is a
tension running high around whether supporting the Games is good thing or
not.
With his communities plagued by drug addiction, gang wars, chronic poverty
and lack of access to services, getting involved in supporting or
celebrating a 17-day sporting event shouldn't be a priority, said Stewart
Phillip, the Grand Chief of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has a
different perspective.

But when asked if he'd run with the torch if it were offered, he paused.
"Political ideology should not eclipse the need in our communities, in
terms of the need to motivate and support our young people that are
striving to achieve excellence in sports," he said, his voice breaking.
"That's more important to me. And if that meant carrying a torch I would
do so."