The Indigenous Environmental Network - Canadian Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign

Canadian Environment Minister Preempted by First Nation Youth

Rally and Letter to Congress: “Stop Tar Sands Now”

Contact: Clayton Thomas-Muller, Canadian Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign, Indigenous Environmental Network, (cell) 218-760-6632. Eriel Deranger, Rainforest Action Network-Edmonton, (cell) 202-215-4399.

Capitol Climate Action - Canadian Youth Protest Tar Sands

Capitol Climate Action - Canadian Youth Protest Tar Sands

Washington, DC--March 2, 2009. Youth representing Beaver Lake Cree Nation, Lubicon Cree First Nation and Athabasca Chipweyan First Nation hand-delivered a letter to Senator John Kerry at his office today while supporters rallied outside. The letter highlighted concern that Canadian Environment Minister Jim Prentice, expected to meet with Senator Kerry on energy issues, would misrepresent the disastrous environmental and human rights record of the tar sands to US Congressional leaders.

“Animals are dying, disappearing, and being mutated by the poisons dumped into our river systems,” the letter continues, “Once we have destroyed these fragile eco-systems we will have also destroyed our peoples and trampled our treaty rights.”

Oil from Canada’s tar sands currently supplies the US with ten percent of its oil.. Recent industry reports project US oil imports from the tar sands to double within the next decade. In Canada, oil production from the tar sands emits three times the global warming pollution as conventional oil, requires excessive amounts of energy and fresh water, and destroys huge swaths of boreal forest.

“Dangerous toxic chemicals used in the extraction of tar sands are contaminating water systems stretching all the way to the arctic basin and adversely affecting communities along the way,” reads the letter, “Expansion of the tar sands is a direct attack on who we are as a people.

In the US, increasing imports of tar sands oil is driving proposed development of more than 6000 miles oil pipeline and expansions of several polluting oil refineries. First Nations and American Indian communities affected by many of these projects are raising questions about adequate consultation regarding environmental impacts.

“Our communities are looking for energy solutions that provide a healthy sustainable community for our future generations” Concludes the letter, “the sustainable future for First Nations in Alberta, Canada and the United States of America alike, cannot be achieved by further exploiting one of the dirtiest, most energy intensive and destructive sources of oil on the planet.”

The Indigenous delegation and their supporters are among 11,000 youth from across the US and Canada attending PowerShift09, the biggest single-day youth lobbying effort on energy policy in US history.

Tar Sands Presentation by Clayton Thomas-Muller

Tar Sands Images - Northern Alberta, Canada

The Canadian Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign (CITSC), based in Ottawa, Canada is an emerging Native-based campaign implemented through the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) as part of its Native Energy and Climate Program.

The campaign goal is to seek a moratorium on further tar sands expansion. The campaign is focused on building the knowledge and capacity of First Nation and Métis leadership within the tar sands impact area to actively engage in both a corporate finance campaign and in decision making processes on environment, forests, energy, climate and economic policies, related to halting the tar sand expansion. The First Nations and Métis leadership includes grassroots, elders and youth, in addition to elected First Nation Band Chiefs and Councilors.

"If we don't have land and we don't have anywhere to carry out our traditional lifestyles, we lose who we are as a people. So, if there's no land, then its equivalent in our estimation to genocide of a people." George Poitras, Mikisew Cree First Nation

It is the position of this campaign that since this tar sand expansion in northern Alberta is within First Nations traditional territories, any effective strategy must acknowledge aboriginal title and treaty rights. This is a core focus of this CITSC project that in our opinion must be supported and addressed in any tar sands intervention. The application of aboriginal and treaty rights as a legal strategy implemented by the First Nations themselves is a key focus of this campaign. First Nations and Metis communities must speak for themselves

As noted by the 1996 Canadian federal Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, Aboriginal peoples in Canada are being, "pushed....to economic, cultural and political extinction."

Support Aboriginal Treaties and Inherent Rights

Environmental and climate justice demands the urgent need for a coordinated, collective response led by First Nations and Metis to the tar sands development. Support Aboriginal treaty-rights and their human rights! This campaign calls for a moratorium on the tar sands development. The campaign for a moratorium would be in effect until the concerns of First Nations and Metis are addressed.

These concerns are:

Human rights abuses;

Human and ecological health crisis;

Climate change implications and adaptation;

Water and air quality concerns;

Clean up and restoration;

Treaty rights recognition and

The tribal sovereignty and self-determination implications and the cumulative socio economic impacts on the health and way of life of Indigenous Peoples in the region.

For more information:
INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK
CANADIAN INDIGENOUS TAR SANDS CAMPAIGN
Clayton Thomas-Muller
2-94 Charlotte ST.
Ottawa Ontario K1N 8K2
Canada
Ph: (613) 789-5653
or contact the IEN Main Office at Ph: (218) 751-4967
E-mail: ienoil@igc.org

Take Action!

Respect our Original Instructions, traditions and responsibility to protect the sacredness of our Mother Earth.

Demand the Alberta government halt tar sands expansion, address environmental damages and remediation and address human health issues impacting the First Nations, as a result of tar sands operations.

Demand the Canadian federal government recognize Aboriginal Treaty 8 and 6 obligations of the concerns of the First Nations pertaining to the treaty and human rights abuses, the human and ecological health crisis, the climate change impacts, the damages to water and air quality and the recognition of First Nations sovereign rights to implement their own environmental and health infrastructure to regulate and enforce their own laws within their lands and territories.

Demand Canada meets its Kyoto Protocol commitments and halt all subsidies and end all support of the tar sands.

DEMAND the national and international financial and banking institutions immediately DIVEST in the tar sands expansion and operations.

Indigenous Environmental Network

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