Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/221076
Energy ("Formidable Foes or Partners With Potential?" continued from page 40) To prevent such an outcome, young Natives not willing to wait another generation for change will "take to the streets to oppose a pattern of federal policy that for 100 years has been paternalistic at best and assimilationist at worst," said Atleo. He issued the blunt warning in September during a speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade, where he pointed out that First Nations "stand directly in the path" of tremendous resource development potential. Over the next 10 years, he said, more than 500 major economic projects representing $650 billion in new investment are planned across Canada. "What we have asserted all along and is now becoming more and more apparent is that First Nations have a strong, central position as decision-makers in the success or failure of these projects," he stated. "This places us as key players in the Canadian economy and a key factor in Canada's ongoing productivity and competitiveness." Taking It To the Streets Energy development-related skirmishes are already occurring in parts of Canada. In New Brunswick during October, six police vehicles were torched and 40 protestors were arrested during an antifracking demonstration spearheaded by Elsipogtog First Nation. Charges were laid for firearms offences, uttering threats, intimidation, mischief and violating a court injunction permitting SWN Resources Canada to undertake seismic testing for shale gas. Members of the news media were among those threatened. In 2010, the New Brunswick provincial government issued a SWN license to explore 2.5 million acres that Quotes within this story attributed to Shawn Atleo, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, are excerpted from his recent speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade. 42 | www.cedmag.com | Construction Equipment Distribution | December 2013 will springboard – the company says – a $47 million investment. Opponents are worried fracking could pollute drinking water. "I knew it was going to come to this because the government doesn't want to listen to the people," said First Nations protestor Donald Sanipass, who hopped onto the hood of a police car during the protest. Some observers claim the demonstrators are ecoterrorists funded by foreign interests opposed to energy development in Canada because of perceived environmental consequences. Without condoning violence, Atleo wrote to Elsipogtog Chief Arren Sock and to New Brunswick Premier David Alward expressing his support for the stand taken by the band. While they've become more peaceful, protests against SWN are continuing, inspired in part by a recent move from the Newfoundland government to place a moratorium on fracking in that province until more investigation can be done into its potential impact. In his Vancouver comments, Atleo aligned himself with Dr. Bernice King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, who only a few days earlier spoke during a Reconciliation Walk in Vancouver that drew thousands of participants. The walk marked the controversial history of residential schools in Canada that saw Native children removed from their families and immersed in a "white" education. "Dr. King issued a challenge that resonates to this day, calling on us to move boldly, and to feel as her father did the fierce urgency of now," Atleo told his audience. "She reminded us that this is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action." A Sympathetic Negotiator Atleo's speech was a good one, says Eyford. "He's sending pragmatic overtures to the federal government." If they weren't sitting on opposite sides of the table, Native negotiators would have an obvious ally in Eyford, who's sympathetic to their cause seeking a fair share of energy development returns. The deceptively soft-spoken lawyer and treaty negotiator, who years ago worked on Parliament Hill in Ottawa as an assistant to Cabinet ministers, is very good at cutting through the flab and getting to the core of an argument or demand. Echoing Atleo, he has stated publicly that much time has already been lost in working out a harmonious settlement with the vast array of First Nation bands implicated in energy expansion in British Columbia. The situation is setting the stage for resistance and even confrontation, Eyford has warned. In his own September speech in Vancouver to the Northeast Natural Gas Summit, Eyford noted upcoming energy projects are "profoundly challenging" for