Not All First Nations Support Meeting in P.G.
By 250 News
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 03:58 AM
Prince George, B.C.- A meeting underway in Prince George to examine the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA) is being dismissed by First Nation leadership in central and eastern Canada.
The meeting that got underway yesterday and continues today, is being held by the First Nations Energy and Mining Council and the Carrier- Sekani Tribal Council. It has been called a national meeting to discuss the management and protection of the Boreal Forest in Canada.
But First Nations from North Western Ontario, the Algonquin region of Ontario , and a group representing First Nations from northern Manitoba say the two day session is not national, nor will the outcome reflect a national position of First Nations on the CBFA.
The Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement was signed by environmental groups and forestry companies. You can read the full agreement by clicking here.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Stan Beardy says the CBFA was done without consultation with First Nations " Any agreement that directly affects NAN homelands should only be between those First Nations and the Crown. The CBFA disrespects our rights and was developed without our consent," He says the meeting in Prince George is “a backdoor approach to coming up with a national First Nations strategy regarding the CBFA as there was no consensus that the meeting was a good idea.”
The other First Nation leaders opposing the meeting, call the CFBA “yet another blatant disregard of treaty rights.”
They are calling on AFN National Chief Shawn Atleo to work with First Nations across Canada to organize a national meeting on forestry issues related to climate change which would include discussion of the CBFA.
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It is important that the intent is understood locally. As far as I can see, it is really of no concern to the Manitoba aboriginals what the local bands do in the BC territory.
The following statement under "protected areas", I believe, points that out clearly.
"FPAC, FPAC Members, and ENGOs 1. are committed to jointly advocating for, and working with governments, Aboriginal groups, communities and stakeholders to accelerate the completion of protected areas networks across Canada’s boreal forests. Within each jurisdiction, FPAC, FPAC Members, and ENGOs will work with governments, Aboriginal groups, communities and others to establish (where necessary) and expedite processes to complete such protected areas networks in a manner consistent with the principles and criteria described herein. While doing so, FPAC, FPAC Members, and ENGOs will concurrently work to jointly identify proposed protected area proposals that can be supported, provide these as input into relevant government processes, and advocate for their adoption. While FPAC, FPAC Members, and ENGOs believe there are certain principles and criteria that should be applied across the boreal, they recognize that the processes used in each jurisdiction will vary to reflect regional differences"