First, my apologies. I wrote that comment too fast and too late at night and went a tad too far! Ack... McCains is a New Brunswick french fry multinational corporation! I always get them mixed up with the Irvings! (too many fries studying at the University of New Brunswick perhaps!). I also mispelled the name of the Mi'kmaq people. So let me restate my point: You're doing fantastic and valuable work holding corporations to account. Your helping us all realize that for-profit corporations are a scourge upon the Earth. However, I feel its not enough to simply describe and diagnose the viral disease of corporations. Part of the work of virologist in making a proper prognosis is to find patient zero. In the case of the Irvings, this is decidedly the Mi'kmaq people. Herbert Irving, a Scotish settler (like my ancestors alas) colonized the unceded traditional terriorty of the Mi'kmaq after their population had been decimated by disease. His son, J.D Irving began cutting down the forests of the area, setting up a saw mill in Richibucto (in what was the once long maintained Miq'mak Sikitwit hunting grounds). From there he steadily expanded his take from the ecosystem. I spent late nights in the old books section of the UNB library reading first hand accounts of the spectacular ecological abundance that these settlers encountered (a bucket dipped in the river would come out full of fish). What is key here is the contrast of the previous centuries (mellenia really) of Mi'kmaq ecological integration and the centuries since of Irving ecological Integration. Given the Irving's human and environmental toll you well describe, the contrast is indeed stark. J.D. Irving's early enterprise grew because there was so much unguarded abundance to cash-in and he had no qualms doing so. The Irving enterprise of today continues the same dynamic frozen in the same world view of its genesis. As we throw of the yoke of corporations, it is key to understand how deeply their world view has been ecologically misaligned-- and how the Mi'kmaq view is in fact aligned. This way I don't unknowingly hold and perpetuate the same misconceptions of old as we seek to survive tomorrow! Afterall, the Irvings have all this time truly believed they were doing good for people and province.

Oh yeah... and don't worry. I shall write about it. :-)