Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs targeted by RCMP spies in 1970s 'Native extremism' program

Newly released RCMP Security Service files reveal that it amassed more than 900 pages of intelligence on the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) over more than a decade.  

The files are among those obtained by CBC Indigenous through multiple Access to Information requests. They reveal how Canada's Cold War-era domestic intelligence agency kept close tabs on hundreds of individuals and 30 Indigenous political organizations, under an umbrella concern about "Native extremism" through the late '60s to early '80s. 

The Security Service justified its surveillance over concerns about extremism and potential militancy — worried that groups in the U.S. like the American Indian Movement (AIM) were extending their influence into Canada. They also worried about meddling in Indigenous movements from subversive actors like communists. 

As these documents give new insights into surveillance of Indigenous political movements, there's a common response from many who were around at the time: we knew.

"We knew that they were there, and it was just part of the game," said snpink'tn Hereditary Chief Adam Eneas.

He was chief of snpink'tn (Penticton) Indian Band and chairman of the UBCIC Land Claims Committee in 1975 when he shows up most frequently in Security Service surveillance records.

The files describe Eneas as having a "militant stand against government" and tracked his travel and activities at political meetings and during acts of protest. 

Eneas and others say they were undeterred by surveillance and instead remained focused on fighting for their rights. 

This was a time when B.C. refused to acknowledge land title claims and there was no mention of Aboriginal rights in the Constitution. UBCIC was a young political organization fighting for recognition of these issues. 

At times, the Security Service doubted the long-term success of the organization. But by March 1975, a report notes, "Contrary to popular opinion, the Native movement is not a half-assed organization." 

The RCMP was watching with interest as UBCIC merged with non-status organizations in B.C. to create a united front in lobbying the provincial and federal governments. 

"This concerted effort will strengthen Native demands within the province," wrote Const. D.G. Silcox in a report dated March 12, 1975.

"All Native factions and organizations have been laced together into one large, organized, cohesive body, united by a common purpose: self determination." 

Silcox cautioned that the federal and provincial government responses would determine how things would play out.