Indigenous leaders are raising concerns about environmental risks, consultation and economic benefits as Prime Minister Mark Carney pushes ahead with plans for a new oil pipeline to British Columbia’s coast.
The proposed Pacific Link pipeline would carry up to one million barrels of oil a day from Bruderheim, Alta., to Roberts Bank, B.C. Carney has designated the project as being in the national interest and wants construction to begin within a year.
Dalton Silver, chief of Sumas First Nation near Abbotsford, B.C., opposes the project. He says decades of oil transportation and spills have raised concerns about drinking water and the effects on fish and wildlife.
Silver also says Indigenous communities have not been properly included in the process. He is considering legal action, while some leaders are discussing possible blockades.
Other leaders see economic benefits but want more time to review the project.
Raymond Powder, chief of Fort McKay First Nation in Alberta, supports the opportunity but says the government must allow enough time for proper review and ensure First Nations have a meaningful role in decisions affecting their lands.
Treaty 8 Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi is also concerned about oilsands tailings, the contaminated waste left behind by mining and extraction. He says the risks to land and water must be addressed.
Mercredi also questions whether all affected Indigenous communities are being included in discussions and offered a fair share of the benefits. Carney has said Indigenous communities will be offered at least 10 per cent ownership of the project.
The federal government says its Major Projects Office has held more than 140 meetings with Indigenous organizations. Environment officials also say they continue to examine ways to manage oilsands wastewater and protect fish and their habitats.
Some communities face serious funding needs for schools and water systems, Silver says, making the project’s potential economic benefits difficult to ignore despite environmental concerns.
Robert Phillips, a political executive with the First Nations Summit and the First Nations Leadership Council in British Columbia, says he is willing to give Carney a chance to follow through on promises of meaningful consultation and Indigenous consent.
He says the government will ultimately have to prove it can deliver on those commitments.
