Click here for coverage of the March 4 Walkout/Divestment Protest
T he Mar. 4 Wet’suwet’en Solidarity Walkout and Divest Protest at the University of Guelph was a powerful display of solidarity and support that sent a very clear message from protesters to the university: Divest from fossil fuels and stop being silent in the face of Indigenous genocide.
The message was heard.
Don O’Leary, the Vice President Finance has committed to making a recommendation to the Board of Finances that the university fully divests from fossil fuels.
I believe there is an obvious hypocrisy to ‘green schools’ investing in fossil fuels. How can an institution that prides itself on its socially and environmentally progressive image, also invest heavily in fossil fuels that aid in the degradation of the climate? It is in examining this question that we find a conflict of interest: The university’s existence should be predicated on serving the students and protecting the environment, yet potentially 10–15% of the U of G financial endowment is invested in fossil fuel companies.
Reflecting on this in the light of the walkout reminded me of another conflict of interest. The RCMP, police, Armed Forces, and federal public service pension funds are also invested in fossil fuel industries, namely TC Energy (the parent company of Coastal GasLink and the architects of the pipeline through Wet’suwet’en territories).
Earlier this year, VICE reported that Public Sector Pension (PSP) Investment Board, a crown corporation, manages billions of dollars in pension funds on behalf of public service sectors — the $12.1 billion pension fund for the RCMP being one of them. Upwards of 4.5 per cent (approximately $550 million) of the RCMP fund is reportedly invested in the natural resource industry, and PSP reported that it has at least $100 million invested in TC Energy across all of its funds.
Don O’Leary, University of Guelph Vice-President, Finance, Administration & Risk (above) noted that he found the protest to be particularly powerful. When asked for comment, he said:
“The passion and emotions of the students are impressive and powerful. I appreciate their leadership, dedication and commitment. I also share their concerns.”
Correlation is not causation. Most of those whose pensions are being managed have no idea where their pensions are being invested, so it’s not necessarily fair for us to portray the RCMP as cronies for TC Energy simply because their pensions are invested in the Coastal GasLink pipeline. Or at least, it wouldn’t be fair if their actions on Wet’suwet’en territories didn’t make it seem like that was fully the case.
Theoretically, the RCMP exists to serve the public, yet here they are on unceded lands, protecting the interests of CGL (and thus TC Energy) on behalf of the federal government, whose pension funds are similarly invested. Again, any individual RCMP officer may have no clue where their pension is invested, yet the federal government knows well enough where its money and interest lies.
Layers upon layers of bureaucracy have allowed for the faceless oppression of many, all around the world. Colonial violence hides behind policy, often framing issues as ‘in the best interests of the public,’ but in the face of the climate crisis, it’s the public who suffer the fallout of climate change.
Too often we’re told by officials, as was the case outside the VP’s office, that ‘our hands are tied,’ but when our institutions — be they the RCMP, police, or universities — serve financial interests over the lives of real people, they cease to serve the purpose for which they were created.
The government has a conflict of interest in protecting its investments and this reverberates from the top down. Canada’s current economic situation thrives on keeping industrial industries interested in its natural resources. Anything that threatens these extractive industries also threatens the economy, so having rail blockades and pipelines being halted affects Canada’s economic viability for investors. Thus, Indigenous people are a problem for Canada. They threaten Canada’s economic viability. They stand in the way of increased wealth.
The University of Guelph has a responsibility to listen to the voices and concerns of the student body, for they are the ones who pay tuition, who work in the labs and research centers as interns, and who contribute to the image of the university as a progressive place to live, work, and study.
Canada will not stop, or has no need to stop, its continued genocide against dissenting Indigenous voices unless the public puts enough pressure on our institutions to divest and reinvest in green industries. That’s why the unfair treaties, relocations, and residential schools were introduced; to remove “the Indian problem” once and for all; to allow railways to connect British Columbia to Canada; to open up the Arctic for oil and defence; to open up the vast boreal forests for lumber and pulp; to open up the rivers for dams and factories; to open up the hills and mountains for mines. For as long as Indigenous people occupy and defend the land and their traditional and emerging ways of life, they also defend the futures of all people, and the future of the planet. Climate change is an international crisis that shouldn’t be compromised on behalf of CGL, TC, or any company that seeks to profit from the planets’ irresponsible, unnecessary exploitation.
The University of Guelph has a responsibility to listen to the voices and concerns of the student body, for they are the ones who pay tuition, who work in the labs and research centers as interns, and who contribute to the image of the university as a progressive place to live, work, and study. Decolonization and reconciliation aren’t achieved simply through land acknowledgements, and divesting from fossil fuels is only one of many steps necessary to make U of G an institution worth being proud of — but it is a necessary step. The students who organized the walkout and those who spearhead the Fossil Free movement on campus, as well as everyone who attended, have put the ball in the university’s court.
On April 22nd. when the Board of Governors meets next, we will have a chance to see how the university responds. Change is possible and it is now up to the university to show the students and the community where it stands, either with one foot in the past, or eyes to a better and livable future.”
A version of this article appeared in print in The Ontarion issue 188.3 on March 12, 2020.
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