In our final case study, chapter four reveals the permanency of the “fusion centre for Native problems” which was operationalized surrounding Mi’kmaq-led anti-shale gas resistance in 2013. Similar to chapter three, we document how the RCMP worked closely with industry and government to facilitate ambitions to develop a fracked gas industry in New Brunswick and to suppress Indigenous assertions of sovereignty over their unceded territories. The Mi’kmaq, and their Acadian and Anglophone allies in southeastern N.B., said no to shale gas exploration and when ignored proceeded to disrupt industry operations which culminated in an equipment blockade and violent RCMP raid. The raid resulted in the widespread criminalization of Mi’kmaq land defenders and led to an “Idle No More-like movement” emerging in solidarity, prompting the GOC fusion centre to coordinate security state responses against the Indigenous and solidarity groups. This final case study also underscores the successful resistance culminating in the permanent withdrawal of the fracking company, and the maintenance of a province-wide moratorium on shale gas exploration.
Files used in this chapter include:
CSIS 2012-32
Number of Pages: 71
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain threat assessments from the Integrated Terrorism Assessment Center (ITAC) concerning terrorism and extremism. Of note, ITAC’s August 2011 “Biannual Update on the Threat from Terrorists and Extremists” contains a section on “domestic extremism” discussing Aboriginal communities and warrior societies. Also of note is a threat alert titled “Anti-Oil Sands protest to take place on Parliament hill” from 2011.
CSIS 2015-54
Number of Pages: 30
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain a Memorandum to the Director: “Meeting of the Deputy Ministers’ Committee on Resources and Energy” concerning federal responses to protests in 2014 and a Government Operations Centre (GOC) report titled, “Government of Canada Risk Forecast 2014 Protests & Demonstrations Season”.
CSIS 2015-501
Number of Pages: 1171
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain a series of internal emails and news summaries. Notable documents include internal emails concerning intelligence collection from ‘open sources’ concerning the 2015 Elsipogtog First Nation protest, Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) and Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Executive News Summaries, and a series of Integrated Terrorism Assessment Center (ITAC) Media Watch reports.
CSIS 2016-47
Number of Pages: 405
Summary of File: Disclosed documents are comprised of slides, threat assessments, intelligence assessments, and reports concerning domestic extremism and Islamic terrorism. Many of these documents were prepared by the Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre (ITAC). The primary focus in these documents are given to the perceived “threats” of “aboriginal extremism”. One of the primary concerns within this document is a developing assessment of the 2008 Aboriginal National Day of Action (NDA) which is understood by the ITAC as a threat to “internal security” and “national security”. Of note, is a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) report titled “Project SITKA: Serious Criminality Associated to Large Public Order Events with National Implications” published by the National Intelligence Coordination Centre concerning the surveillance of Indigenous activists.
DND 2013-1238
Number of Pages: 279
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain internal emails from the Department of National Defence (DND) and Government Operation Center Daily Operations Briefs. Notable documents are: Internal emails from the DND concerning the monitoring of First Nations protest against the shale gas industry in Rexton – New Brunswick with reference to intelligence from the GOC, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Request for Canadian Forces Assistance form concerning the Elsipogtog First Nations shale gas protest in New Brunswick, DND media response line concerning the request from the RCMP, and GOC daily operations briefs related to the protest.
DND 2014-1157
Number of Pages: 111
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain internal emails from the Department of National Defence (DND) concerning the Elsipogtog First Nations shale gas protest in New Brunswick and a General Occurrence Hardcopy concerning an ATI Privacy Request involving the same protest.
DND 2016-1403
Number of Pages: 20
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain internal emails from the Department of National Defence (DND) concerning the Elsipogtog First Nations shale gas protest in New Brunswick and counter intelligence reports from the National Counter-Intelligence Unit of the Canadian Forces (CF) concerning the protests.
INAC 2013-1348
Number of Pages: 245
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain internal emails from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) and the Government Operations Center (GOC) concerning the Elsipogtog First Nations shale gas protest in New Brunswick. Some notable documents: AANDC Issues Management Bi-Weekly reports, Daily Media Summaries from Public Safety Canada (PSC), GOC situation reports, and AANDC Response to Media documents.
INAC 2013-1624
Number of Pages: 980
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain internal emails from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) and the Government Operations Center (GOC) concerning the Elsipogtog First Nations shale gas protest in New Brunswick. Some notable documents include, GOC situation reports and daily briefs, AANDC media lines and response to media documents, and Morning Media Roundup documents.
INAC 2015-989
Number of Pages: 51
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain internal emails and media response documents from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) concerning the Elsipogtog First Nations shale gas protest in New Brunswick.
NB-PS 2016a
Number of Pages: 16
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain internal emails from the New Brunswick Department of Public Safety (NB-PS) containing Security Event Reports on the Elsipogtog First Nations shale gas protest in New Brunswick.
NB-PS 2016b_1
Number of Pages: 42
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain internal emails and written notes detailing meetings between the New Brunswick Department of Public Safety (NB-PS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) concerning the Elsipogtog First Nations shale gas protest in New Brunswick. Notable documents include: A Deputy Ministers Ad-Hoc Operations Committee: Security and Emergency Management” agenda, Media talking points for the Minister of Public Safety concerning the protest, and a document titled “Key Messages: Shale gas development in NB Injunction court case — Elsipogtog vs SWN and GNB”.
NB-PS 2016b_2
Number of Pages: 24
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain written notes detailing meetings between the New Brunswick Department of Public Safety (NB-PS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) concerning the Elsipogtog First Nations shale gas protest in New Brunswick.
NB-PS 2016b_3
Number of Pages: 34
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain written notes detailing meetings between the New Brunswick Department of Public Safety (NB-PS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) concerning the Elsipogtog First Nations shale gas protest in New Brunswick.
NB-PS 2016b_4
Number of Pages: 53
Summary of File: Internal emails between the New Brunswick Department of Public Safety (NB-PS) and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (NB-DTI) concerning the Elsipogtog First Nations shale gas protest in New Brunswick.
PCO 2013-517
Number of Pages: 45
Summary of File: Disclosed documents include Internal emails and a Government Operations Center (GOC) situation report from the Privy Council Office (PCO) concerning updates on the Elsipogtog First Nations shale gas protest in New Brunswick.
PSC 2013-334
Number of Pages: 1098
Summary of File: Internal emails from Public Safety Canada (PSC) and the Government Operations Center (GOC) concerning media summaries and situation reports monitoring the Elsipogtog First Nations shale gas protest in New Brunswick.
RCMP 2013-6342
Number of Pages: 55
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain Commissioner’s Briefing Notes and Updates from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on “Shale Gas Exploration in New Brunswick” concerning the Elsipogtog First Nations shale gas protest in New Brunswick.
RCMP 2013-7388
Number of Pages: 8
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain “J” Division – Provincial Calculations Fiscal Year 2013/14: Shale Gas from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
RCMP 2015-8404
Number of Pages: 76
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain Commissioner’s Briefing Notes and Updates from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on “Shale Gas Exploration in New Brunswick” concerning the Elsipogtog First Nations shale gas protest in New Brunswick.
RCMP 2015-9616
Number of Pages: 4283
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain a series of Royal Mounted Canadian Police (RCMP) briefing notes and updates to the commissioner, communications and public relations documents, internal emails related to intelligence gathering around Idle No More, and Government Operations Center (GOC), Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA), and RCMP situation reports on Idle No More protests. Some notable documents are: RCMP report titled “National Aboriginal Demonstrations and Protests: Framework for Defining the RCMP’s Coordinated National Response”, E-Division Aboriginal Policing Services: Strategic Outlook Report — Idle No More”, “‘O’ Division Criminal Intelligence Program: Idle No More”, CBSA “Threat Assessment: Planned Border Blockade”, and powerpoint slides titled “RCMP Intelligence Report on Idle No More”.
RCMP 2016-1140
Number of Pages: 620
Summary of File: Disclosed documents contain briefing notes, reports, and email threads concerning internal communications of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in relation to the activities of the commissioner’s office in response to Indigenous protests, demonstrations, and blockades associated with Idle No More. This document also contains communications related to intelligence sharing nationwide concerning organized events that are by-and-large filed into charts detailing event descriptions and locations. Some notable files include RCMP daily and weekly Situation Reports titled “Protests: Aboriginal-based Issues” and E Division’s Aboriginal Policing Services “Idle No More” Public Order Event Timeline and Strategic Outlook Reports.
RCMP 2016-8006
Number of Pages: 270
Summary of File: Disclosed documents include Occurrence Details and Supplementary Reports from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) concerning Idle No More and the Elsipogtog First Nations shale gas protest in New Brunswick.
Policing Indigenous Movements: Dissent and the Security State 