She belongs to the indigenous Couchiching people. She is a trained lawyer and has managed to be an intern in Barack Obama’s administration and worked on indigenous issues in Bernie Sanders’ presidential election campaign.
But what she is most noted for is civil disobedience in protests against big business.
“The industry fights back”
After the large demonstrations against the oil pipeline at Standing Rock, she has defended several of the protesters who were arrested. But she herself has also been on the front line. And today she is one of several who, in addition to Greenpeace, have been sued by the oil companies.
– The industry is fighting back and one of their tactics is to use strategic lawsuits, she says.
She herself is being sued for four million dollars along with several other protesters. The oil pipelines have been built, despite the protests, but the companies continue to pursue the lawsuits. Houska is therefore convinced that this, from the companies’ side, is about curbing resistance to possible future industrial projects.
– I think they hope that it will be a warning that they will push people into personal bankruptcy, she says.
The companies themselves say that it is about them losing money due to the protests.
“Trying to scare people”
The lawsuit of four million dollars, however, is not that much compared to the lawsuit of 300 million dollars that Greenpeace USA is facing. If the oil company wins, it would completely shut down the organization’s operations in the US, Houska believes. But that, she notes, is perhaps not the worst thing.
– I also think that, in terms of the indigenous people’s struggle, it is an attempt to scare people away from working with us. To oppose that we defend our country. We are trying to defend what is left of it, she says.
“The climate campaigns don’t work”
Still, she has no plans to stop civil disobedience. She compares her work to the climate movement, which she feels has been more political in recent years. In the United States, they have not used civil disobedience to the same extent, but more attempts to influence through political elections.
There, there have been no successes. One of Donald Trump’s big election promises is to drill for more oil.
– It simply does not work fast enough. We can all see how the climate crisis is getting worse and worse, she says.