A bit more information, presented without comment....
Letter to Nishnawbe Aski Nation
Chief Mike Carpenter Responds to Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler
ATTAWAPISKAT, ON, Dec. 22 /CNW/ -
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Chief and Council
Attawapiskat, Ontario
P0L 1A0
December 11, 2006
Nishnawbe-Aski Nation
710 Victoria Avenue East, 3rd Floor
Thunder Bay, ON P7C 5P7
Attention: Alvin Fiddler, Deputy Grand Chief
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Dear Deputy Grand Chief Fiddler:
Re: Your Recent Editorial Regarding Mineral Exploration in Ontario
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We are writing to inform you that Attawapiskat takes issue with your
recent editorial in the Rapaport News where you used inaccurate information
that indirectly included mineral exploration in Attawapiskat's traditional
territory. You wrote:
Instead the hunt for these rare gems from the heart of the Earth has
meant only conflict and strife for us. De Beers plans to develop
massive open pit diamond mining projects in our traditional territory
but it is not honoring our treaty rights or working with us to win
our consent for the projects.
You wrote this despite without even asking us for our input.
There is only one diamond mine currently being built in Ontario at this
moment, and that is the Victor Project in our territories. Your comment is
obviously directed there, however, if you are referring to other First Nations
we refrain from comment. You omitted the fact that Attawapiskat took a
proactive approach to its aboriginal rights and title and negotiated an Impact
Benefit Agreement, a landmark agreement which will set a benchmark for other
such agreements between First Nations and industry. With strong legal
representation and the assertion of our rights, Attawapiskat fought strongly
with De Beers and both levels of government using our rights to our territory
for what we obtained in our IBA: education and training, contracting and
employment preferences, environmental monitoring and guarantees, and financial
benefits. The conflict was eventually settled in the form of the IBA.
Attawapiskat has benefited and will benefit greatly in the future from this
development, which you totally ignored in your remarks. All of this came about
without any help from NAN: no funding, no political support and no legal
support.
You also wrote:
Before they can claim to have done the right thing in Canada,
De Beers and other Canadian diamond mining companies must demonstrate
a different attitude and pattern of behaviour.
They must allow us to determine where, when and how diamond mining
will take place, if at all. They must also work with us and the
Canadian governments to protect the great Boreal Forest ecosystem and
make sure it continues to provide clean air, clean water and abundant
wildlife for our communities and for the world.
Our IBA also requires Attawapiskat's consent if De Beers wishes to develop
any further kimberlites in our territory, which makes the above quoted remarks
inaccurate. We fail to see how NAN's purpose is to represent our interests and
those of our fellow Ontario First Nations when you unilaterally decide to make
such statements.
If you felt the need to comment on this Project, you should have consulted
with us, since the existence of the IBA is well known at NAN. While your
article discussed how each First Nation must decide for itself if and how
development should occur in its traditional territory, you totally ignored the
fact that our IBA is a benchmark to be met and exceeded that other First
Nations will benefit from. We are concerned that your comments, which might be
intended to refer to other communities suggests misinformation about our
lands, our IBA and our approach rather than pointing out solutions.
We would be more than happy to provide other First Nations who are members
of NAN with an outline of our approach and successes in asserting our rights
in order to achieve respect from De Beers and good results in an historic IBA
in Ontario.
We hope that take this into consideration when you make such statements in
the future.
Thank you,
Chief Mike Carpenter
