Voices silenced in LARP concerns

The Alberta government has directed the panel reviewing the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan to not consider concerns raised by the Athabasca Chipewyan, Fort McKay, Onion Lake, Cold Lake Cree, Mikisew Cree, and Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nations, and Fort McKay Métis as they are not directly harmed by LARP. The province has also said that treaty rights do not fall within the purview of the panel. Alberta argues Aboriginal consultation will take place on frameworks within the plan dealing specifically with everything from biodiversity to air and water quality. But two years after LARP was introduced, few of those frameworks have been developed. “By restricting the scope of First Nations involvement to discrete lower-level decisions, the LARP fundamentally misunderstands what is required to meaningfully involve First Nations people in land planning,” says Onion Lake in a written submission. The panel has until June 22, 2015, to file its recommendations.