ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the colonial relations within the political economy and ecologies of crisis and austerity through exploring massive financial investments in private forest lands in British Columbia, Canada. In the context of a prolonged crisis in the forest industry of the province, and a government focused on fiscal restraint and deregulation, finance capital moved into the sector, with a focus on land acquisition. The cherished land had its roots in 19th century land grants to a rail company and represented, and still does, the unceded territory of Indigenous nations, who saw their rights and access eroded through the new ownership and management regime introduced in the 20th century. This chapter explores these events and argues that although finance capital may be able to survive a prolonged moment of crisis through taking hold of land, the prised land, in this case private forest lands, is not only a product of colonialism but continues to be layered with Aboriginal rights and title that First Nations continue to strenuously practice and pursue. This chapter points to the importance of shifting attention to colonial relations when discussing questions of austerity and highlights the activism and legal work of Indigenous communities in challenging the roll-back of the state and the enclosure of land.
