is why canada (and the mining company) both think that they ought to be allowed to do what they are doing.

asking this question actually keeps us all focused on what matters and who is (always) in the wrong.

of course, this is, in part, exactly what settler colonialism does

suddenly Indigenous peoples are asked to justify their resistance

but no one really expects the settlers to justify why they feel they can invade land and territories and destroy communities

if memory serves…. a bunch of settler responses to the current conflict were along the lines of ¹

“this is crown land, not Native land”

which….

says it all, doesn”t it?