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First Nations views carried in Washington

Article Origin

Author

By Shari Narine Sweetgrass Contributing Editor WASHINGTON

Volume

20

Issue

4

Year

2013

Alberta First Nations were more than faces in the 45,000 strong that rallied on the Mall in Washington on Feb. 17. They were also voices heard by American politicians.

“It was certainly worth our going,” said Melina Laboucan-Massimo, climate and energy campaigner with Greenpeace Canada.

Laboucan-Massimo, of the Lubicon Cree Nation, and Crystal Lameman, of the Beaver Lake Cree Nation, attended the Forward on Climate rally to protest TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline.
“It was pretty great to see such a massive array of people, 45,000 people from across the States and Canada came sending a clear message to Obama that they don’t want to see happen in the United States with the passing Keystone XL approval,” said Laboucan-Massimo.

Laboucan-Massimo says she requested meetings with various US government officials in order to discuss the impact of tarsands development in Canada on First Nations. She and Lameman met with officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as Kerri-Ann Jones, assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, and other high level officials.

“They were willing to meet with us and listen to our concerns,” said Laboucan-Massimo. “They were surprisingly very genuine in their interest.”

Both Laboucan-Massimo and Lameman were also speakers at the rally and on a panel following the rally. It was at the panel presentation, says Laboucan-Massimo, that the issue of environmental impacts, including the caribou habitat, were discussed.

Keepers of the Athabasca sent information regarding the situation of the Alberta woodland caribou to the rally organizers to be included as part of their literature.

After years of documenting facts, working with the government on a caribou protection plan and getting nowhere, Helene Walsh, spokesperson for the Keepers of the Athabasca, says it was time to employ a new strategy.

“We know the Alberta government is primarily interested in economics so if we can tie the issue of the caribou to economics maybe we’ll get a positive results,” she said. Walsh was pleased when the Forward on Climate rally organizers agreed to include the group’s material.

“Americans need to know we’re not developing our resources responsibly,” said Walsh. “The Alberta government makes commitments but they don’t do anything about it.”

It is unclear as to when US President Barack Obama will make his decision on the Keystone XL pipeline. Rumour has it anywhere from April through to the summer, says Walsh.

The State Department has to release another review and then comments will be solicited.

Alberta Premier Alison Redford, in a joint press conference with Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall on Feb. 27 in Edmonton, said both provinces will continue to push the benefits of Keystone XL during that comment period.

“We’re very aware of the fact that a decision is going to be made in the near future and what we’re doing in terms of the dialogue right now is exactly what we should be doing,” said Redford. “We’ll never presuppose the outcome, we would never take it for granted.”

Following the Feb. 17 rally, Redford wrote a guest column in USA Today, in which she stated, “We stand ready to demonstrate our strong track record on responsible oil sands development. And we are prepared to work with our federal government and our American friends to push the bar higher in addressing climate change…. Through our actions, we must also be a global leader in environmental management. Projects like Keystone XL only reinforce our commitment to responsible oil sands development. We can have it both ways. And we will.”

Redford’s words have incensed Walsh, but she takes heart in that she is hearing that US politicians want to know more about the environmental impact of Keystone XL and less about the economic benefits.

“It’s a total package of messaging, more reasons that can be provided to the US government to explain the impacts of the pipeline,” said Walsh.