First Nations leaders to review proposed agreement in Hay River
Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Fort Simpson (Jun 01/01) - The Aboriginal Pipeline Group has a proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline agreement that it expects the NWT's First Nations leaders to sign next week in Hay River.
Wilf Blonde, secretary for the Aboriginal Pipeline Group (APG), said time is of the essence.
"First of all, it costs a lot of money to bring a lot of leaders together, so you don't do that frequently," he said.
"The producers (oil companies) are coming towards the end of their feasibility study. If we're going to get in on the deal now is the time to do it."
He said the APG would also need some time to get all the finances in place.
The Deh Cho First Nations, however, are not fully supportive of a Mackenzie Valley pipeline. Chief negotiator Chris Reid has told aboriginal leaders in the Deh Cho that reserving support for the pipeline will increase the region's leverage in self-government negotiations, particularly in securing royalties.
Last week NWT Premier Stephen Kakfwi, a strong supporter of the Pipeline Group, warned Deh Cho leaders the pipeline could be built without their support, and leave them with without the benefits the pipeline could bring.
DCFN Grand Chief Michael Nadli, meanwhile, has openly criticized the Deh Cho's APG representatives for not reflecting the DCFN position. On Monday, he would not comment on whether the DCFN would sign the proposed agreement in Hay River next week.
He said he would have to discuss the matter with Deh Cho leaders at the Dene Nation assembly in Fort Providence this week.
If the Deh Cho opposes the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline agreement, which would offer aboriginal groups one-third ownership, there will be no attempt to use the existing Enbridge pipeline right-of-way through the Deh Cho to bypass the need for their consent, Blonde suggested.
"I don't think it's possible for a pipeline to be built without the participation of the aboriginal people," he said.
Reid agreed that any attempt to force the pipeline through the Deh Cho would likely backfire.
"A project like this is going to require hundreds of millions of dollars of private-sector investment. Big corporations don't invest that money without certainty," he said.
Blonde suggested that there's a chance the majority of First Nations within the Deh Cho might be willing to ratify the agreement. "The Deh Cho First Nations, as I understand it, is supposed to be working for the communities," he said. "So if more communities sign it than, say, 50 per cent, it would seem to indicate that the Deh Cho First Nations seem to be out on a limb by themselves."
