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Nishnawbe Aski Nation
Press Releases
Backgrounder
Lands and Resources (Lands For Life)
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Historical Perspective:
The issues of Lands and Resources have been a priority
for NAN First Nations since the mid-70's in relation to the potential
impacts that uncontrolled resource exploitation and development would
have on their communities and traditional territories.
The Provincial Conservative Government at that time, declared that
it had approved timber rights to the Reed Paper Company a multi-national
corporation to clear-cut some 19,000 square miles of forest within
the NAN territory in Northwestern Ontario, known as the "Reed
Tract". Immediately after this public announcement, the Elders
and Chiefs of those communities to be impacted, directed the Grand
Council Treaty #9 Executive Council to confront Ontario with the intent
of halting this unprecedented incursion into their traditional territories.
They feared the long-term damage to the eco-system and destruction
of lands and resources which were crucial to their survival and traditional
pursuits of hunting, fishing, trapping and harvesting.
In response, the Grand Council, with the complete support of all its
Chiefs and Elders in the 38 communities, met with the Provincial Cabinet
and demanded that its cutting rights to the Reed Tract be terminated
without delay. Immediately thereafter, Treaty 9 launched a massive
public campaign to stop this development with the support of many
sectors within Ontario - environmentalists, the private sector, educational
institutions, non-profit groups, other Indian organizations, First
nations and general sympathizers, including the press.
The mounting pressures from Treaty 9 and its allies during the following
year, forced the Ontario Government to rescind the cutting rights
to Reed Paper and to launch a public inquiry on lands and resources
in northern Ontario. The result was the establishment of the Royal
Commission on the Northern Environment mandated to undertake a comprehensive
review of lands and resource development issues in northern Ontario
with the involvement of the public/private sector, including First
Nations.
Upon the Inquiry's completion in 1978, the report and its many valuable
recommendations on resource development policies, was submitted to
the Ontario Cabinet but the government did not act on the commission's
findings, many of which , supported the concern and positions of NAN
First Nations in respect to lands and resources. In fact, this process
enabled many First Nations to undertake and complete land-use planning
activities such as the Kayahna Land-Use Plan, If this Inquiry's recommendations
had been implemented at that time, it was quite possible that NAN
First Nations today would have been better positioned to address the
policy initiatives of today's Provincial Government, in dealing with
"Lands for Life" and "North of 51".
Over the years, during the later 70's, 80's and 90's, a period of
two decades, NAN First Nations have continuously voiced their positions
in all the conferences and assemblies stating emphatically that NAN
lands and resources are not for sale. Numerous resolutions have been
passed by NAN Chiefs directing the Executive Council to address these
issues with the view of developing a regional strategy on lands and
resources which would protect their lands, resources and rights to
carry on traditional pursuits on these lands.
Current
Status
The nature of lands and resources issues at that time,
and still today, involve the same principles and scope of concerns
in terms of the potential impacts that uncontrolled resource development
will have on our traditional economies. The protection of our Aboriginal,
Treaty and Constitutional rights to carry on traditional pursuits
in the First Nation territories without impediment by Ontario and
its resource industry partners remains the highest priority.
In April 1996, the Ontario Government, in a budget speech delivered
by Minister Eves, announced a new initiative on lands and resources
which it called "North of 51" to promote development in
Ontario's far north. Subsequently, the Ministry of Natural Resources
(MNR) announced its "Lands for Life" process which mandated
three round tables with the task of developing land use planning recommendations
for the Minister through public consultations which will impact on
the southern area of Nishnawbe-Aski Nation.
At the request of the Ontario government, and upon direction from
NAN Chiefs, NAN endorsed the appointments of two NAN First Nation
members to participate on the Lands for Life, Boreal East and West
round tables with the intent of promoting the interests of NAN First
Nations. The two representatives ceased their participation after
it become evident that their input has been without consequence, as
the goals of the Minister of Natural Resources in any recommendations
would exclude the rights and economic aspirations of NAN First Nations.
The recent recommendations confirms these initial concerns.
There is currently mounting pressures from the global economy to exploit
and extract the last sanctuary of untouched lands, water and other
resources in North America - within the traditional territories of
the NAN First Nations communities. Past efforts by the Executive Council
to implement resolutions to undertake comprehensive, regional strategies
on lands and resources issues have been stymied by, ironically, financial
resources, despite the massive profits generated by the resource industry
sector from our lands and resources both within, and north, of the
Area of Undertaking, not to mention the multi-million dollar tax revenues
which accrue to the Provincial Treasury, annually.
Conclusion:
Today, the NAN Executive Council continues to be faced
with the challenges of implementing resolution mandates on Lands and
Resources from the NAN Chiefs, which will accommodate the unique and
diverse economic situations of our First Nations.
The "Court Application" to halt the Lands for Life planning
process undertaken by Nishnawbe-Aski Nation Executive this week in
Thunder Bay is a clear signal to the Ontario Government, NAN First
Nations will not tolerate any land use planning which excludes First
Nation rights and economic interests. The Lands for Life process failed
in their attempt to address Aboriginal issues and that lack of respect
for Aboriginal interests will continue into the implementation phase.
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