Caleb Behn on Indigenous Law, resource conflict in northeast BC

Caleb Behn on Indigenous Law, resource conflict in northeast BC

Energy and Resources, First Nations, Fracking
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Caleb Behn on Indigenous Law, resource conflict in northeast BC
Caleb Behn (photo: Damien Gillis)

Watch this presentation by Caleb Behn, a young, First Nations lawyer-in-the-making from Treaty 8 territory in northeast BC – one of the most heavily industrialized places on earth. The subject of the forthcoming documentary film Fractured Land, Behn discusses the blending of indigenous and colonial law to address the conflict arising from intense resource development, such and natural gas fracking, hydroelectric dams, logging, mining, and industrial roads that permeate his ancestral lands and threaten his family’s traditional way of life. The one-hour presentation – shown here in three parts – was co-hosted at the Vancouver Public Library on February 28 by Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada, Amnesty International and the Hul’qumi’numTreaty Group. Behn, who is Dunne Za/Cree on his mother’s side and Eh-Cho Dene on his father’s, recently completed law school through UVic and is now pursuing his articles at Ratcliff & Company in Vancouver.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Intro

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About Damien Gillis

Damien Gillis is a Vancouver-based documentary filmmaker with a focus on environmental and social justice issues - especially relating to water, energy, and saving Canada's wild salmon - working with many environmental organizations in BC and around the world. He is the co-founder, along with Rafe Mair, of The Common Sense Canadian, and a board member of both the BC Environmental Network and the Haig-Brown Institute.

3 thoughts on “Caleb Behn on Indigenous Law, resource conflict in northeast BC”

  1. Caleb
    Your documentary, “Fractured Land” shown here in Australia this week. We have this problem in our state.
    My old army boss used to say, “Pissing outside the tent does no good, to make an impact you gotta piss inside the tent”. Hit them with the law, man its all we got!

  2. Saturday, 15 June 2013 18:14 posted by B. J. Jacobs

    Very powerful. My mere words are not enough.
    The tragedy of deliberately killing the land and the people in this country.

    Monday, 10 June 2013 14:07 posted by Kevin Logan

    This Caleb kid is ambitious and bright.

    His adherence to his history and culture could help ebb the flow of his ego.

    The challenges he wishes to be the tip of spear in tackling are immense, fraught with pitfalls and present circumstances which making the hunting of a bear with your bare hands seem more attractive. And more doable.

    He is clearly well advised and on a trajectory for which his realm of experience will be unparalleled by many of his people.

    This will create a divide that only a strict adherence to his cultural and spiritual history may overcome.

    An epic tale, for an epic time.

    One to watch, no doubt. But always be careful what you wish for as the tip of the spear is sharp from my friend.

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