--- On Sat, 2/4/12, RDIABO <rdi...@rogers.com> wrote:
From: RDIABO <rdi...@rogers.com>
Subject: Pipeline debate threatens federal-First Nations relationship
To: undisclosed-recipi...@yahoo.com
Received: Saturday, February 4, 2012, 10:04 AM
Pipeline debate threatens federal-First Nations
relationship
Nanwakolas Council among 60 B.C.
First Nations opposing Northern Gateway pipeline proposal
CBC News
Posted: Feb 3, 2012 2:38 PM
ET
Last Updated: Feb 3, 2012
2:36 PM ETRead 53 comments53
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A delegation of B.C. business and First Nations
leaders was in Ottawa this week, trying to ensure the federal government's
enthusiasm for exporting oilsands bitumen doesn't burst other efforts already
coming down the pipe to recognize aboriginal treaties and strike new agreements
for economic development.
The delegation was led by Mary Polak, B.C.'s
aboriginal relations and reconciliation minister.
First Nations leaders have spoken passionately
about their concerns and opposition to the pipeline, which would travel across
First Nations territory in northern B.C. The pipeline proposal is currently
under review at National Energy Board hearings.
Speaking to Power & Politics host
Evan Solomon, Dallas Smith, the president of the Nanwakolas Council, said that
even though he is not from the territory that will be directly affected by the
pipeline, he's been working in support of the concerns of his fellow First
Nations.
"I think the opposition is based on the risk,"
Smith said. "But there's more at hand, there's a relationship that needs to be
built with the federal government right now and this is going to be really
tricky to manoeuvre around, making sure that the whole relationship doesn't get
caught up in this issue."
"We're really concerned... about the ripple
effect of this project and what it's going to do to our already non-existent
relationship with the federal government," Smith said, later clarifying that
the
relationship is not really "non-existent" but is definitely "not as genuine" as
the First Nations relationship with the B.C. government.
Polak said that the federal government's
enthusiasm for the Gateway project hadn't emerged as a barrier yet.
"I don't think Enbridge has to become the
dominating issue," Polak said. "In the two days that we've been here, Enbridge
hasn't come up once."
However, Polak did suggest that the federal
government could do more to improve its relations with First Nations, something
her government has made a priority.
B.C. hopes to sign 10 new non-treaty agreements
with First Nations by 2015.
"If you develop that relationship around mutual
consent, around working together, then you don't end up in the adversarial
relationships that happen when you're reacting after a project has been
proposed," Polak said.
Polak and her delegation met with the governing
Conservatives' B.C. caucus this week, as well as the Senate Aboriginal Peoples
committee, Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan, Fisheries Minister Keith
Ashfield and National Chief Shawn Atleo from the Assembly of First
Nations.
"The relationship has to start somewhere," Smith
said.
