Do First Nations support the LNG industry? (w/ Ellis Ross, former Haisla Chief Councillor)

Liquefied natural gas, LNG, is on the horizon in British Columbia.

The BC government supports it, and sees LNG exports as a source of revenue and jobs. But will LNG plants and their associated natural-gas pipelines get built? If so, when? There are obstacles along the way, and one is First Nations participation.

The public is often told that First Nations in BC are opposed to energy development, that they are in agreement with environmentalists who want to stop the development of carbon fuels in the province.

The First Nations LNG Alliance says that perception is both exaggerated and incorrect. The alliance includes communities between the northeast of the province and Kitimat, where two major LNG facilities are in the final stages of making investment decisions.

The Alliance is a collective of First Nations that states its objective is to participate in, and be supportive of, sustainable and responsible LNG development in the province.

Above all else, they say the creation of opportunities for First Nations men and women to find employment in their communities is a top priority. So is bringing in revenue to close the economic gap between Indigenous communities and the non-Indigenous.

We asked former Haisla Chief Councillor, Ellis Ross, now the MLA for Skeena, to join us for a Conversation That Matters to talk about why he opposed the Northern Gateway Pipeline but supports the development of LNG in BC.

---

Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue presents Conversations That Matter. Join veteran Broadcaster Stuart McNish each week for an important and engaging Conversation about the issues shaping our future.

ctm189 #lng #firstnations #britishcolumbia

[Kulasu]

In Canada, armed forces raided native Wet’suwet’en territory in British Columbia
Monday, with at least 14 arrests being reported. Land defenders faced off with
Royal Canadian Mounted Police as the police breached two checkpoints set up to
keep pipeline workers out of protected territory. Indigenous leaders are
reportedly being blocked from their territory. TransCanada Corporation has been
seeking entry into indigenous territory, where they are planning to build the
massive $4.7 billion Coastal GasLink pipeline. Land protectors from First
Nations clans set up two encampments where they had been physically blocking
entry to TransCanada workers.

We speak with Karla Tait, a member of the Unist’ot’en house group of the
Gilseyhu Clan. She’s the mental wellness manager for the Northern Region with
the First Nations Health Authority, serving the 54 First Nations in Northern
British Columbia. Dr. Tait is also the director of clinical programming for the

[grahamday]

A leader that looks after his people what a great idea you should run for Prime Minister Mr Ross . Prime Minister Ross sounds good to me

[Kulasu]

It’s important to know that Indigenous people have indigenous laws that go back thousands of years. The elected band council system is a colonial construct with the historic intention of annihilating Canada’s First Peoples.
Provincial and Federal governments typically work with elected governance systems. Today, we have to recognize, respect and work with both systems.
North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice