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First Nations Oppose Possible British Columbia Oil Pipeline
First Nations Oppose Possible British Columbia Oil Pipeline

Bloomberg

time19 hours ago

  • Politics
  • Bloomberg

First Nations Oppose Possible British Columbia Oil Pipeline

A First Nations group in British Columbia sent an open letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney urging him reject any proposal for a pipeline or oil tanker project in the northwest area of the province. The Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative, an alliance of First Nations, requested that Carney's government uphold a 2019 ban on oil tankers off the northern coast of the province. The act, known as Bill C-48, prohibits tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of crude oil from stopping or unloading along British Columbia's north coast.

Caroline Elliott: The end of Canada is coming and B.C.'s NDP is leading the charge
Caroline Elliott: The end of Canada is coming and B.C.'s NDP is leading the charge

National Post

timea day ago

  • Politics
  • National Post

Caroline Elliott: The end of Canada is coming and B.C.'s NDP is leading the charge

Article content Even so, the government maintains its implausible position that this is 'not about a veto' but rather reflects the (democratically and legally-flawed) DRIPA principle that 'both governments have authority to decide whether a particular authorization should be issued.' Article content From a democratic standpoint, shíshálh Nation's constitution is clear: only members can vote in shíshálh elections, and membership is based strictly on ancestry. This means that tens of thousands of citizens living in the large region covered by the agreement will have no democratic voice in consequential land-use decisions that directly affect their interests, a fact that has already led to an important constitutional challenge by one community group on the Sunshine Coast. Article content And this is just one of many similar arrangements being implemented across B.C. Article content Last month, the Province announced a joint land use planning process with five Indigenous groups covering an area larger than England in B.C.'s mineral-rich Northwest. Consent-based agreements are again touted as part of the process. Article content This means Indigenous groups representing a combined population of less than 15,000 will be able to exercise decision-making power over a massive, economically crucial region impacting over five million British Columbians with whom they have no democratic relationship. Article content Another recent agreement 'requires the consent of the Tŝilhqot'in Nation for any mine in the Teẑtan Area that is a reviewable project under the Environmental Assessment Act to proceed.' Most, if not all, of the 740,000 acres covered by the new agreement is outside of the Tŝilhqot'in Aboriginal title area recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada, and remains public land. Article content Once again, the B.C. government has agreed to an effective veto over an area of public land for a governing body that non-Indigenous British Columbians cannot vote for. And once again, they've failed to preserve their own basic responsibility to make decisions in the broader public interest. Article content Over the years, Canadian courts have consistently called for a balancing of the public interest with the unique interests of individual Indigenous groups. Finding that balance is supposed to be the difficult but critically important task of the governments we elect. Article content Instead, under DRIPA, the B.C. government is increasingly abdicating its responsibility to protect the public interest, and eroding the foundational principles underpinning our democracy. Time will tell whether the federal government follows suit.

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