Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Sunday, July 29, 2012

First Nations outraged by Clark's Enbridge pipeline 'sales pitch'

First Nations opposed to the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline project are accusing B.C. Premier Christy Clark of selling out British Columbians and putting a price tag on the future of aboriginal people.

The Yinka Dene Alliance, a group of five First Nations in the B.C. Interior, issued a statement Saturday, saying it rejects Clark’s “sales pitch.”

The B.C. government said earlier this week it won’t support the $6-billion Enbridge project until five environmental and fiscal conditions are met, including B.C. getting a much larger share of economic benefits such as resource royalties or other tax revenue.

Another one of the five conditions was that legal requirements for aboriginal and treaty rights must be addressed and first nations be allowed to benefit from the project.

However, the aboriginal groups claim the premier is bargaining with land that they say will never be for sale at any price.

“It is absolutely unacceptable for our premier to play a game of ‘the Price is Right’ while putting our lands, our waters and our futures at risk to devastating oil spills,” said Terry Teegee, tribal chief of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council.

“This is our lives, the well-being of our families that she is playing with. We won’t let her sell our lands out from under us.”

Chief Martin Louie of the Nadleh Whut’en First Nation said the government can’t “put a price tag on our future,” adding that the alliance is committed to fighting the project.

“Clark has admitted that B.C. will take 100 per cent of the risks from tankers and most of the pipeline risk. For her to turn around the next day and start bargaining for royalties — that’s knowingly trying to sell all British Columbians out,” said Louie.

On Friday, Clark refused to sign onto any national energy strategy until B.C.’s dispute with Alberta and the federal government over the Northern Gateway oil pipeline is resolved.

The Enbridge project would carry oilsands crude, or bitumen, from northern Alberta to Kitimat, for shipment to Asia.

Original Article
Source: vancouver sun
Author: Tiffany Crawford

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