According to email correspondence included in the draft’s release, in the afternoon of April 8—five days before the statement was made public—Rod Bealing, Pacheedaht First Nation’s forestry manager, sent a draft statement internally within the nation to elected chief Jeff Jones and a band manager, asking for suggestions. Five hours later, Bealing sent an email to Eric Kristianson, who was then assistant deputy minister for “strategic initiatives” in the BC premier’s office: “Please find our proposed statement attached. Please call if any questions,” Bealing wrote.

We don’t know if Bealing and Kristianson spoke over the phone; there are no records confirming or disproving it. Bealing, who no longer works for the First Nation, could not be reached for comment. (Kristianson did not respond to an interview request.) What we do know is that there are striking differences between the draft—written before the government saw it—and the final statement.

The draft was a broad statement outlining the Pacheedaht’s positions on forestry and resource stewardship. It outlines both the history and goals with regard to forest management in its territory. Criticism is directed at the Crown, the BC government, more than at any other party: “No Treaty has ever been concluded between the Crown and the Pacheedaht at all, and in particular regarding, lands, waters, airspace, resources, governance, or taxation. In failing to do so, the Crown and others have interfered with the culture and livelihood of the Pacheedaht Nation,” the draft read. The words “activism” or “activists” do not appear in the draft.