Apart maybe from the legal system being quite visibly colonial in terms of that sense, like the free entry system, how would you say colonial, uh, structures economically, for example, and politically can still be seen? And how are they otherwise challenged as well?

This is a really important question I think that we, we have to keep thinking about, and I would prefer to start with the discontinuities, which we, we already started to get to, which is, you know, again, recognizing just how much Indigenous nations have really changed the nature of Canada.

And this starts, you know, going way back to the advent of colonialism, like how it always shaped the nature of, of this country.

In the eighties, it was Indigenous nations who got on a train and went to Ottawa and actually, like, changed the, the shape of our constitution to include a section, Section thirty-five, that has become a very important section for, uh, advancing something like reconciliation, decolonization, and that was nations who, who made that amendment happen.

So we've seen it through UNDRIP, through the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, which has been adopted in Canada and has been, uh, in-- is meant to be implemented in British Columbia through legislation.

And again, all of this has not been because the, there was some sort of wake-up by government leaders, but because of the sort of active efforts of, of nations and their organizing.

And I think what this has done in relation to mining is that whereas nations, their territory were sort of deemed permissible to harm, right? These kinds of sacrifice zones, that I think all of that work has reduced that, right? That they're not as permissible to harm.

I'm curious, i-in a moment like this where there's clear and articulated and now explicitly, uh, tension with the US and the need to, to diversify Canada's exports when, you know, the majority of, of its exports go to the US, what do you think is the significance of something like industrial policy in this moment? And how do critical minerals, uh, you know, and Canada positioning itself as a critical mineral leader in the world, how does it fit into that?

Thinking about, for example, something that was discussed with Tara Marston as well, which is the free entry system and just how easy it is for even individuals to lay claim to a mineral virtually all over, you Apart maybe from the legal system being quite visibly colonial in terms of that sense, like the free entry system, how would you say colonial structures economically, for example, and politically can still be seen and how are they otherwise challenged as well?

This is a really important question, I think, that we have to keep thinking about.

And I would prefer to start with the discontinuities, which we already started to get to, which is, again, recognizing just how much Indigenous nations have really changed the nature of Canada.

And this starts going way back to the advent of colonialism, like how it always shaped the nature of this country.

In the 80s, it was Indigenous nations who got on a train and went to Ottawa and actually changed the shape of our constitution to include a section, Section 35, that has become a very important section for Indigenous advancing something like reconciliation, decolonization, and that was nations who made that amendment happen.

So we've seen it through UNDRIP, through the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, which has been adopted in Canada and is meant to be implemented in British Columbia through legislation.

And again, all of this has not been because there was some sort of wake up by government leaders but because of the sort of active efforts of of nations and their organizing and i think what this has done in relation to mining is that whereas nations their territory were sort of deemed permissible to harm right these kinds of sacrifice zones that i think all of that work has reduced that right that they're not as permissible to harm And so I think we've seen some really important shifts that have happened.

I'm curious in a moment like this where there is clear and articulated and now explicitly a tension with the U.S. and the need to diversify Canada's exports when the majority of its exports go to the U.S., What do you think is the significance of something like industrial policy in this moment? And how do critical minerals, you know, and Canada positioning itself as a critical mineral leader in the world, how does it fit into that?