WINNIPEG – A noisy protest forced the University of Winnipeg to cancel a speech by a former First Nations national chief on Wednesday.
Phil Fontaine, chair of the university’s indigenous advisory circle and a former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations who helped negotiate the residential schools settlement, was scheduled to deliver a lecture titled “A look back and a look forward.”
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The protesters are unhappy that Fontaine has accepted a position with oil firm TransCanada, which is trying to win First Nations support to build the Energy East Pipeline across the country.
“No Kxl No Tar Sands No Phil Fontaine,” one sign said. TransCanada has also proposed to build the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta to Nebraska.
Lloyd Axworthy, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Winnipeg, said they’re working with Fontaine to reschedule the lecture.
“It is deeply unfortunate that today a small group of protesters disrupted this important lecture,” Axworthy said in a statement. “The protesters today employed intentionally disruptive tactics to silence all voices but their own. As a university, we regret that an opportunity for meaningful and respectful dialogue was prevented earlier today.”
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