First Nations chiefs vote unanimously to reject any changes to B.C.’s oil tanker ban

First Nations chiefs have voted to reject any changes to the current oil tanker ban off the Northern B.C. coast.

The resolution was carried unanimously at the Assembly of First Nations gathering in Ottawa.

The chiefs also voted in favour of a resolution asking the federal government to withdraw from the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed with Alberta last week that could pave the way for a new pipeline through B.C.

“Chiefs have different views on development; this is to be celebrated,” Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, the Assembly of First Nations national chief, said.

“I told the press that it should not be used in fear, or used as a wedge to try and divide us. The truth is that Canada can create all the MOUs, project offices, advisory groups they want, but chiefs are united. When it comes to approving large national projects on First Nations lands, there will not be getting around rightsholders.”

Marilyn Slett, president of the Coastal First Nations – Great Bear Initiative, said they are grateful for the unanimous support of the Chiefs from across Canada.

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“The federal government must recognize that First Nations communities and the protection and stewardship of our territories are not a barrier to Canada’s economic prosperity — we are the source of it, and our communities cannot be an afterthought on government agendas,” she said in a statement.

“Protecting B.C.’s North Coast is not an item for negotiation — it is a national responsibility, and it is a quantifiable investment in Canada’s treasured marine environment and the economic prosperity of future generations.

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“We urge the federal government to uphold the oil tanker ban.”

However, Indigenous nations in Alberta remain mixed in their reception, even as one group has been named a key partner.

The Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC) was named a key partner in Ottawa and Alberta’s memorandum of understanding last week.

Channa Martineau with the AIOC said that consultation with First Nations is often done too late.

“Where you want that Indigenous participation is at the very beginning,” she said.

“I always say those conversations might be hard, they’re not easy conversations, but you’re better to have them up front than to get mired in quagmire when you’ve already invested in a project that isn’t workable from an Indigenous perspective.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed the memorandum of understanding last week that commits them to working toward building an oil pipeline to the West Coast.

At a signing ceremony in Calgary Thursday, the two agreed to terms that commit Ottawa to adjusting the West Coast tanker ban if a pipeline project is approved as a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act and provides “opportunities for Indigenous co-ownership and shared economic benefits.”

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