Forrester nodded and started back to his office. Baxter jumped up. “Mr. Forrester?”
“What?”
“I was told to give you this.”
Forrester looked at the card, scowled, and turned it over. He read the words Baxter had memorized. “This man did me a service. Look after him.”
Forrester studied Baxter. “Background?”
Baxter said, “I’m a software engineer.” He held out his resume.
Forrester ignored it. “Name?”
“Uh, Todd Baxter.”
Forrester said to the receptionist, “Tell Whatford I’m sending him a new guy.” To Baxter, he said, “You start Monday. Report to software maintenance. Basement. Bob Whatford.” He strode into his office, slamming the door behind him.
If Adam Forrester had been less than welcoming, Bob Whatford was toxic. Baxter wasn’t sure Whatford wouldn’t physically throw him out of the office. On Monday morning, Baxter went to the basement, followed a sign toward software maintenance, and entered an office that made him think he’d come to the wrong place. If this was maintenance, it was more like fixing elevators or cleaning ventilation ducts. The room was dim, a counter spanning the front, a door with a security lock behind it, a layer of dust coating a scarred counter. The room was empty. He looked for a buzzer, but finding nothing, he called out, “Anyone here?”
A minute later, the security door opened. A man emerged wearing a suit that looked slept in and a shirt that had once been white. “You Baxter?”
“Yes. Todd Baxter. Mr. Whatford?” He extended his hand.
The man ignored it. “Yeah, I’m Whatford. You’re the loser Forrester figures I can just take on. He sure as hell didn’t up my budget, but I’m still supposed to pay you. Follow me.” He pointed to the security lock. “Code is 12345. Figure you can remember that?”
“Probably.” Baxter followed Whatford through the door into a room with about twenty workstations, although no more than half had anyone seated at them. The glow from the screens was almost as bright as the few fluorescent tubes that hummed overhead. The room smelled of dust and sweat and mildew. Nobody looked up as the two men entered.
Whatford pointed to an empty desk, the number 17 etched into the steel side. “That’s yours. There’s an operations manual in the drawer. You get up to an efficiency rating of seven point two by the end of the month, or I’ll boot your sorry ass back onto the street.”
Baxter sat down, but the chair was too low, and when he tried to adjust it, nothing happened. He went to another empty desk and tested its chair. He was lucky on his third try.
The screen displayed a logo and login boxes. He went into Whatford’s office. “I need a username and password.”
The man scowled at him. “You deaf or stupid? I said the operations manual is in the drawer. And your target efficiency rating is now seven point five. Now get the hell out of my office.”
Baxter opened a battered three-ring binder with the title, “IT Division. Software Maintenance Section. Operations Manual version 5.3. Confidential.”
Within the first few minutes, Baxter learned that his username and password were both “desk17.” It took him most of the rest of the day to figure out what he was supposed to do and to understand how his efficiency rating was calculated.
“OUR TOP STORY today. The Supreme Court of Canada has reached a decision in the Coanth First Nation petition. Andrew Stanner has the story. Andrew?”
“Yes, Phil. About a year ago, the British Columbia Court of Appeal upheld the injunction granted to Central Railway to stop the Coanth First Nation from blockading coal trains. The Coanth appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada. Pending the outcome of that appeal, the court allowed the injunction to stand. Today, the court has set aside the injunction, allowing the blockade to resume.”
“Andrew, what reasons did the court give for its decision?”
“We haven’t been able to review their written ruling yet, but their recent judgments have tended to favour Indigenous claims of control over their traditional lands.”
“Do we have any reaction from either side?”
“Central Railway refused an on-camera interview but issued a written statement saying they are reviewing the decision. For the Coanth, their lead attorney, Marnie Shelton, gave this statement.
Cut to a woman standing at a podium. “This is a great ruling for the Coanth First Nation and for native communities everywhere. The Supreme Court has recognized the sovereignty of all native Canadians and their right to control access within their traditional territories.”
“So there you have it, Phil. The Supreme Court’s ruling allows the Coanth First Nation to resume its blockade. Back to you.”
“That was Andrew Stanner reporting on the Supreme Court decision. We’ve asked a legal expert for her reaction. Barbara Chase of Chase and Associates specializes in aboriginal issues. Barbara, what’s your reaction to the Supreme Court decision?”
“Phil, this decision will change the face of transportation and industry across this country. From the justices’ oral statements, it’s clear that the court has gone far beyond the single issue in this case. Our reading of the decision is that it gives all native communities the right to restrict or even ban anything that conflicts with their aboriginal values. The precedent set by this ruling restores what we see as traditional rights.”
“But won’t this mean that natives can now block the flow of goods, whether by rail or pipeline, through their territories?”
“That’s exactly what it means. And not just rail and pipelines. We believe that the ruling could also affect highway transport. It is going to change the fortunes of Indigenous peoples all across the country.”
“So does this ruling mean that any native community can block any form of transport or resource development unilaterally?”
“No. It doesn’t provide an absolute veto. The ruling contains two provisions that would allow development to proceed. The first is that if the federal government declares a project to be in the national interest, that overrides any objections. The second is that if the court deems that there has been adequate consultation and that an Indigenous group’s objections are not reasonable, it can order the project to proceed.”
“So the government can force a project, like a pipeline, through native territory?”
“Yes, legally it can, but that’s a blunt tool that the government can’t wield without provoking a strong reaction.”
“A strong reaction? Are you talking about violence?”
“Let’s face it, that’s a possibility. Nobody wants violence, but there are elements in Indigenous communities that are prepared to use physical force to maintain their rights. We’ve seen that in other protests.”
“Ms. Chase, you also mentioned adequate consultation. How would a court determine if consultation is adequate?”
“Phil, courts have to weigh adequacy in all sorts of cases. This is no different. All it means is that native Canadians have to be included in resource planning. They can no longer be ignored.”
“But what about the economy? If we can’t transport goods, how do companies get them to market?”
“Phil, that’s a red herring. Natives aren’t obstructionist. They just want a fair share of the economy you’re talking about. If a company needs to transport its products through one of their territories, it will have to negotiate a tariff. This ruling won’t stop the flow of goods, but it will ensure that native Canadians benefit from that flow.”
“WE HAVE BREAKING news. A group of environmental activists has destroyed an access road leading to the construction site of the Pacific West pipeline. Sheila Thompson is on site and has filed this report.”