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Assembly of First Nations National Chief Supports First Nations Delegation Meeting with U.S….
Media Releases | Assembly of First Nations | September 22, 2010
(Ottawa, ON) – Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo issued the following statement today in support of First Nations from the Canadian and American sides of the border that are meeting with U.S. officials in Washington, D.C. to raise awareness about the impacts on First Nations of the tar sands and related U.S. oil imports:
“First Nations across our traditional territory of Turtle Island – now called North America – are tremendously concerned about the impacts of oil sands development on First Nations peoples, our traditional territories and foods, our cultural and spiritual practices and our ability to exercise our Treaty and Aboriginal rights.
This joint effort by First Nations on both sides of the border is important to ensure U.S. lawmakers and policy makers are fully informed of our concerns as they consider the proposal to build a pipeline that will pump 900,000 barrels of tar sands oil a day to the Gulf Coast. It is also a reflection of the First Nations worldview that what happens in one part of the environment affects all of us; that what happens in the North will affect the South and vice versa.
The health impacts of the oil sands are a real concern and have been raised in recent studies. In Canada, we are particularly disturbed by the high rate of cancer in the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and support the call for an independent health study to examine the people there to assess potential health damage from the oil sands.
We understand the meetings are going well and that there is great interest by U.S. officials in hearing from our people. Any development must respect the environment, First Nation peoples, Treaty and Aboriginal title and rights. Meaningful consultation with any First Nation that may be affected by future projects is a necessity in order to protect lives and livelihoods. We call for joint policy development and joint decision-making processes in any development that affects our people, our territories and our rights. The Assembly of First Nations fully supports this important initiative by First Nations in Canada and the United States.”
Tagged with: first nations, tar sands
