Alberta Fact Check: Will Alberta’s union members join Indigenous protesters at anti-referendum blockades?
Indigenous chiefs previously threatened to block infrastructure in Alberta over the October referendum.
Fresh off the heels of his forgettable “Fight back now!’ campaign where unions planned to bring Alberta to a standstill on May 29, Gil McGowan of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) is hoping to inspire members to lock arms with Indigenous protesters and block areas of critical infrastructure in the province.
In an outburst following Alberta’s scheduling of a non-binding referendum on unity for October 19th, Treaty 8 Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi threatened to organize Indigenous protesters to block critical infrastructure in the province. In his words, “That means everything. That means stopping industry. That means maybe going out on the highways. That maybe means doing what we need to do to be heard on this issue of separation."
Mercredi is under the misconception that his consent is required for Albertans to hold referenda, saying, “They will need the consent of the First Nations to move this forward, which is not happening."
Not one to be left behind when potential civil disobedience could be occurring, McGowan has chosen to jump onto the bandwagon with the chiefs and issued a letter of solidary including the statement “civil disobedience may be necessary to address the authoritarian drift of the Smith government, especially in the context of the planned referendum on separation.”
The referenda to be held in Alberta on October 19th are completely legal and need no consent from Indigenous chiefs or labour representatives.
If McGowan manages to inspire some of his union members to join other activists in blocking highways, railways and pipelines, they will quickly encounter Alberta’s Critical Infrastructure Defence Act. They could be looking at the inside of jail cells.
The threat of mass civil disobedience from AFL members is slim all the same. With months of planning, McGowan’s day of action at the end of May was a total flop. If he can’t get union members out for a simple demonstration on a nice afternoon in May, it’s unlikely he will get them out onto railway tracks where they may be arrested.
Albertans have little to fear from the posturing of the AFL as the campaign unfolds for the fall referendum.
Cory Morgan
Cory Morgan is an Alberta-based columnist, political commentator, and longtime advocate for Western Canadian independence. He is the author of the recently updated book The Sovereigntist’s Handbook, a grassroots guide for independence supporters and political activists.
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