--- On Thu, 3/1/12, RDIABO <rdi...@rogers.com> wrote:
From: RDIABO <rdi...@rogers.com> Subject: Ottawa long aware resources lacking to consult first nations To: undisclosed-recipi...@yahoo.com Received: Thursday, March 1, 2012, 9:12 AM Ottawa long aware resources lacking to consult first nations Federal government expects Enbridge to fulfil some of Crown's duty to address aboriginal concerns, documents reveal By Trish Audette, Postmedia NewsMarch 1, 2012 2:20 AM Long before a public hearing began this year into a controversial pipeline that would carry Alberta oil to the B.C. coast, the federal government knew it did not have the resources to address first nations concerns about the project, newly public documents show. According to a "scenario note" for a 2006 meeting between the deputy minister of aboriginal affairs and northern development, the president of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, and others, first nations groups in B.C. and Alberta expected "federal engagement on consultation and provision benefits" related to the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline to be in line with what was available to aboriginal groups during the 1970s Berger Inquiry into the Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline through the Northwest Territories. However, the note indicates, "Indian and Northern Affairs Canada does not have the capacity to meet such demands as it does not have the regulatory framework, authorities, and resourcing in place south of 60 to address these concerns." Questions about aboriginal engagement in the Northern Gateway hearing process are important because so much of the proposed pipeline route is expected to cross traditional first nations land, particularly in British Columbia, where aboriginal groups boast a nearly unbroken wall of resistance to the project aimed at moving oilsands bitumen to Asia-bound tankers at Kitimat. Nearly 500 pages of documents out-lining the Aboriginal Affairs' pipeline consultation strategy between 2004 and 2011 - released to Postmedia News under Access to Information laws - show Ottawa expects Enbridge to fulfil some of the Crown's duty to consult with first nations and Metis groups. As well, most consultation will be carried out by the public hearings of a joint Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency-National Energy Board review panel weighing the environ-mental and economic benefits and drawbacks of the 1,172-kilometre, $5.5-billion pipeline. But first nations and Metis groups say the joint panel's public-consultation process does not meet aboriginal needs or the federal government's duties. "The Crown has actually made industry responsible for their due diligence," said Melanie Omeniho, president of the Metis Nation, Local 1886 (Edmonton).
