The pope and the need for difficult conversations

Winnipeg Free Press

28-04-2025

Opinion
There were many noteworthy moments this past week.
From Earth Day to horrendous headlines about our economy to the upcoming election, it was long week; however, it was the passing of Pope Francis that gave me pause to reflect on the challenge of embracing difficult conversations, particularly about Indigenous people and the environment.
Francis did not rely on his cardinals or his church underlings to do the heavy political lifting — he spoke to the people directly affected by church policies and history.
As Canadians, we are now familiar with the apology for residential schools that resulted from those conversations and the role Manitobans played in moving the conversation forward. The hurt remains in many and the dialogue must continue, but no progress will be made if there are no difficult conversations initiated.
We are in challenging times, and I fear that some politicians are using this moment to take advantage and forward their personal agendas, especially when it comes to economic development and the environment.
Camp Morningstar has been attempting to have a conversation with Manitobans about resource extraction from an Indigenous perspective. The passing of the pope this week led me to reflect on our failed attempts to initiate difficult conversations with people in power.
Few probably know that camp was represented at the Vatican as part of a cohort of Indigenous land defenders from around the world. The pope was an environmentalist. Who knew?
I texted with Camp Morningstar's Lisa Raven while she was hosted in Vatican City. She shared that her plain room was in stark contrast to other rooms showcasing the vast wealth taken from Indigenous lands. It was a moment of awakening, and a little creepy, but at least it was the start of a conversation.
These land defenders who gathered at the Vatican were encouraged to share their truths with the cardinals on how remnants of the Doctrine of Discovery, terra nulls and the papal bulls still contaminate Manitoba's Environment Act and Mines and Minerals Act and of course, the Indian Act.
So if the Vatican can initiate difficult conversations, what is holding us up from having conversations about balanced legislation?
The press has a role to play in ensuring their coverage is balanced and include these historical truths.
For example, whining from the likes of Ontario Premier Doug Ford about Indigenous consultation holding up mining in the Ring of Fire and his call to get the federal government out of the way is troublesome. The imperfect adoption by Canada of UNDRIP is the one reason some Indigenous nations must resort to the courts.
In Manitoba, Canadian Premium Sand was approved within months. The six-year and counting delay in the mine start-up has nothing to do with delayed licences.
The constant myth that there is too much regulation is unfounded.
A more likely culprit is the lack of staffing in the provincial licensing offices. The Technical Advisory Committee is tasked with enforcing some sort of standard for environmental protection and they can only go so quickly. If a company submits a weak environmental application, it creates a lot of work as the government wants the mine to succeed, but liabilities are real.
No one is questioning the right to self-determination.
The question is what constitutes informed consultation?
When Camp Morningstar erected a teepee in the dead of a cold February night to protest the lack of information about a proposed mine, free speech was not a Constitutional right for First Nations on reserve.
The legal journey to include that right did not start until 2020, long after Canadian Premium Sand had received their license. Let that sink in.
Take Earth Day. It should have been a politician's handshaking delight — school children galore and people hopeful for a nod in their direction. I understand our premier was elsewhere. From the saddling of the environment minister with an extra portfolio to the lack of action on early promises to have the best environmental legislation, this government continues to dodge difficult conversations about the environment and balanced decision-making
Premier Wab Kinew gets the last laugh. My riverfront home on the stunning Manigotagan River, the generational location of my husband's Indigenous family, has been prospected by 1911 Gold.
So, in addition to the continual threat of a sand mine starting up in my front yard, I now have to think about a gold mine under my house and the river in what serves as my backyard.
Seriously, is this anyone's idea of balance? Kinew, I call uncle.
When the ice melts, you will find me out on the land that is left.
Mary Jane McCarron is a lapsed Catholic.