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A national forum to deal with immediate issues on land use, land entitlement and claims has been called for by First Nations chiefs and officials across western Canada.
To be held in Calgary from April 14 to April 16 at the Calgary Convention Centre, the forum will be organized by First Nations Conferences in association with Indian Resource Centre and sponsored by several major corporations including Husky Oil, NOVA Corporations, iSTAR, PanCanadian Petroleum, TransAlta Utilities and Canadian Airlines International.
This is a fact finding forum open to delegates from across Canada with special invitation to Elders and National leaders for First Nations, Dene and Inuit assemblies. The forum is directed at resource industries in oil and gas, mining, forestry and electrical power.
Scheduled to deliver statements at the gathering are: Elijah Harper, MP; Indian affairs minister Ron Irwin; Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come of the Quebec Cree; and Assembly of First Nations national chief Ovide Mercredi.
Keynote addresses will be delivered by Chief Roy Fox of the Blood Tribe in Southern Alberta, Canada's largest First Nation; and David Lester, president of the Council of Energy Resources Tribes, based in Denver, Colarado.
Representatives from national Aboriginal associations will give presentations including Canadian national Aboriginal Tourism Association, Canadian Aboriginal Mining Association, National Aboriginal Forestry Association, CANDO, and B.C. Aboriginal Fisheries Association. At the opening of the forum, Irwin will sign an agreement with Chief Terry Buffalo to create the Indian Resource Council, a new body evolved from the Indian Energy Corporation that will begin the journey to getting Indian communities out of the royalty business and into the resource development and management business.
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