Sam Spiegel grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on the territories of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Dakota, Dene, Métis, and Oji-Cree Nations. He obtained his PhD in Geography at the University of Cambridge and now teaches in the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on the nexus between colonialism, displacement and climate justice, including numerous studies on dispossession, environmental sustainability and Indigenous rights. Spiegel has published more than 40 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including a publication in Political Geography based on more than 150 hours of observation in courtroom proceedings in British Columbia related to the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion project.
It is time for Canada to put an end to the biased injunction culture that has so routinely and cavalierly disrespected Indigenous laws and communities, writes academic Sam Spiegel.
Beyond ensuring that judges and prosecutors have minimal training on Indigenous issues, much broader oversight and accountability measures are also evidently needed.
While heavily impacted First Nations have been continuously opposing TMX on their never-surrendered lands, courts have been using “injunctions” as tools for stopping protests.
