101 Days of Evacuation and Counting: Passing the Buck on Mathias Colomb Cree Nation

By: Donovan Martin Sr, Editor in Chief

Treaty No. 1 Territory, Winnipeg, Manitoba – One hundred and one days. That is how long the 2,200 citizens of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation have been forced from their homes in Pukatawagan. Not because there is no solution. Not because the community has failed to act. But because Ottawa and Manitoba are trapped in their favourite excuse—passing the buck.

On September 4, 2025, Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty sent a letter to Chief Gordie Bear that should shake every Canadian who still believes in justice and fairness. The Minister rejected the Nation’s urgent request for support to install emergency backup generators, despite the fact that the plan had been vetted, approved, and recognized as the fastest way to restore power. Instead of leadership, Gull-Masty pointed to Manitoba and walked away from her responsibility.

Chief Bear and his Council have carried the weight that should never have been theirs alone. They identified the solution. They secured a professional, detailed plan from PowerSafe Energy Services. Manitoba Hydro’s own consultants confirmed it as the most effective emergency option. And, most remarkably, the Nation has even offered to pay upfront—asking only that Ottawa commit to reimbursing them later.

That should have been more than enough for both the federal and provincial governments to step up. Instead, 2,200 people remain scattered, displaced in hotels and temporary shelters, while two levels of government shuffle papers and point fingers. Families are separated. Children are beginning school away from their community. Elders remain cut off from their homes, their culture, and their lands.

At a recent emotional press conference, Chief Gordie Bear broke down as he spoke about his people’s suffering. He described how the children are struggling, how the community has lost yet another member while being displaced, and how unbearable it is to see his Nation pushed aside while governments bicker over dollars and jurisdiction. His words cut through the political spin: “My people need to get home.”

While Ottawa and Manitoba argue over who should pay, lives are being lost, families are in crisis, and children are bearing the trauma of a prolonged displacement that never should have dragged on this long.

This crisis is exactly what Jordan’s Principle was meant to prevent. The principle came from the heartbreaking story of Jordan River Anderson, a five-year-old boy from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba. He spent his entire short life in hospital while governments argued over who should pay for his care. He died without ever seeing his home because Ottawa and Manitoba were locked in a jurisdictional fight.

Jordan’s Principle was supposed to ensure that no First Nations child would ever again be left waiting while governments argued. The rule is simple: the government first approached must pay immediately, and disputes over cost are sorted out later. Care and action come first—bureaucracy comes second.

By refusing to approve Mathias Colomb’s generator plan and pushing responsibility to Manitoba, Minister Gull-Masty is clearly not reading the room.

It is not a mystery who holds responsibility here. Under federal treaty obligations, the Government of Canada bears responsibility for the well-being of Indigenous peoples. Manitoba Hydro is responsible for delivering power. Everyone understands these roles. To pretend otherwise is an insult not only to Mathias Colomb but to every Canadian who expects governments to meet their basic obligations.

And yet, while officials suggest power may be restored “as early as next week,” that answer would never be acceptable to anyone in Winnipeg. Imagine being told that after 100 days without power, you must wait another week because there was no temporary solution offered. No city in Canada would accept such an excuse—why should Mathias Colomb Cree Nation?

The province cannot escape blame. Manitoba Hydro’s own consultants endorsed the generator plan. Premier Wab Kinew, Manitoba’s first First Nations Premier, understands better than most what systemic neglect looks like. Yet his government has allowed this stalemate to continue.

Manitoba has the resources to act now and argue over reimbursement later. Instead, it has stood by while 2,200 First Nations people remain displaced, for governments that claim to champion reconciliation, times like these seem like a performative exercise.

Reconciliation is supposed to mean healing, respect, and the rebuilding of trust between Canada and Indigenous peoples. But let us be honest: reconciliation in this country has been watered down to the point of meaninglessness.

It has become a word politicians roll off their tongues in speeches, a word they wear like a badge when the cameras are on. Reports are published, ceremonies are staged, apologies are read from carefully prepared notes. But when the moment comes to act—when reconciliation requires sacrifice, urgency, and real commitment—suddenly the word evaporates.

For Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, reconciliation is not an abstract term. It is a mother trying to keep her children safe in a hotel room. It is an Elder longing to walk the land again. It is a student trying to start school without knowing when they will go home. Reconciliation cannot just be spoken—it must be lived. And right now, it is being denied.

The Chief and Council have already done the heavy lifting. They found the solution, presented the plan, and are prepared to act. The only thing missing is the political courage of those in power.

Canada and Manitoba can end this evacuation today. They can approve the generator plan, bring people home, and show that reconciliation is more than a hollow slogan. Or they can continue to pass the buck and prove, once again, that reconciliation in this country has been emptied of meaning—reduced to little more than a word that looks good on paper and sounds nice in speeches.

The people of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation deserve better. And Canada will never move forward until reconciliation is more than rhetoric.