First Nations must pursue own interests in resource projects

Pipeline building is once again in the news, and the pros and the cons are lining up. Our people once again are somewhere in the middle, seen either as an ally or an impediment.

First Nations have been left out of resource development instead of being treated as stakeholders. The same people who ignore our potential also are the ones to complain about indigenous poverty and suggesting we move away from traditional communities. Meanwhile, the environmentalists and anti-developers co-opt our people as allies in order to justify their cause.

Before I get too far along I must disclose that I’m a Treaty Land Entitlement trustee for my band and serve on the economic board that’s assembling a land base that includes oil and gas potential, as well as other economic development. I am also in favour of pipelines because they are far safer than rail transport, which has seen some horrific accidents involving oil transportation.

The issue is not black and white. There are some highly dangerous projects that could cause untold environmental damage and these should be avoided. The Northern Gateway pipeline across British Columbia to Kitimat is an example.

There are also some projects that rebuild existing pipelines or create new ones in areas with less environmental risk. The Energy East pipeline, which will take oil from Alberta to the East Coast, deserves a closer look as a safer example. Once buried, a pipeline should be no more of an environmental obstacle than a road and, in some cases, even less.

However, we have been down this road before.

Back in the 1970s and ’80s there was opposition to developing uranium mines in northern Saskatchewan. Our people were used as an ally by the opponents, but in the end the mines were developed. Northern people expressed their concerns for the environment, but they also saw the value of employment and business opportunities.

The uranium industry became an economic engine, creating jobs and contract opportunities for our people. Today, there are indigenous companies that provide camp catering, trucking, security and other spinoff services.

The mines lifted our standard of living and created a stable, trained workforce. The uranium companies realized this when the boom occurred in Fort McMurray: many other workers left for Alberta and it was Saskatchewan’s aboriginal workforce that stayed.

In the past we have been left out of the economy. We either had to create our own niche, such as casinos, or were able to take advantage of northern native requirements in resource development. But instead of creating an integrated economy, we have been left out of the mainstream and only allowed to nibble around the edges.

Now we are armed with rulings from the Supreme Court, such as the requirement for governments to heed the duty to consult and accommodate First Nations concerning resource development projects on their traditional land. Consultation is meaningless unless there is also a need to accommodate the concerns of First Nations.

We also have had a stream of court decisions that provide new rules of engagement that give First Nations real power in the development of resource projects.

Our negotiators now arrive at the table armed with legal decisions and precedent that place us in a position of power. We are no longer silent witnesses or supplicants.

Times are changing and First Nations want more than jobs and business opportunities. We need to get a piece of the action through fiscal arrangements such as resource-revenue sharing and tolls on pipelines that pass through our traditional territories. We also need to gain equity in future resource projects, giving our people a revenue stream that will improve their communities.

We can’t allow ourselves to be caught in the middle and used by both sides. We need to chart our own course and develop our economies.

Europeans see themselves as having dominion over nature, while First Nations see ourselves as stewards of the environment and part of creation. Therefore, we can’t destroy nature, but conduct ourselves in a way that is mindful of the needs of future generations, along with providing an economy for the current generation.