On December 30th, 2015, Wolverine, esteemed Secwepemc Elder and Defender, in council with the Secwepemc People, wrote a comprehensive letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Attorney General Jody Wilson calling for a National Inquiry into the Ts’Peten (Gustafsen Lake) Standoff in order to the settle the issue of unceded and unsurrendered territories and jurisdiction for once and for all.
The letter was sent through Canada post on January 4th, 2016 to both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Attorney General Jody Wilson.
Ts’Peten (Gustafsen Lake) Standoff
Under Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretién and then Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh, Canada’s largest paramilitary operation was carried out on the sacred Sundance lands in Ts’Peten area in 1995. Armoured personal carriers mounted with .50 calibre machine guns, land mines/IEDs (improvised explosive devices) set up in the area around the camp to discourage defenders from leaving, one of which blew up James Pitawanakwa’s truck.
An astonishing 77,000 rounds of ammunition were directed at the Ts’Peten Defenders during the Standoff.
The RCMP stated to national media, after they had blockaded the Defenders into the camp, that they had brought 18 body bags for the 18 defenders, some as young as 14 years old and pregnant.
Gustafsen Lake Standoff in 5 minutes