Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Providence (Nov 16/01) - The Liidlii Kue First Nation won't be signing any proposed pipeline agreements until an independent consultant reviews the documents, Chief Rita Cli said Tuesday.

Through a survey of band members last month, the LKFN determined a mandate existed to sign the Aboriginal Pipeline Group's memorandum of understanding (MOU). However, Cli said she won't rush into it.

"Once you sign on the dotted line it's final," she said. "Just to get clarity I want to get this second opinion. Everything's on hold."

Cli said she's expecting to have a consultant review the MOU and the Arctigas Resources Corp. (ARC) pipeline proposal before Christmas. She and her council will rely on the consultant's recommendation in making a final decision, she said.

"I want everything to be checked out because I don't want it to come back and haunt us," she said.

Last month Cli announced the LKFN was ready to support the Aboriginal Pipeline Group's MOU, but she has since received a number of calls from other leaders and community members voicing concern, she said.

The pipeline issue arose once again at last week's Deh Cho First Nations leadership assembly in Fort Providence. Debate was, at times, heated and acrimonious, resulting in leaders closing the doors to media and non-members.

Cli is determined to have a clause changed in the Wrigley special assembly resolution so that harvesters' consent is not a requirement for a Mackenzie Valley pipeline. Instead, the clause would be stronger if it stated that First Nations membership's consent is needed, she argued.

DCFN Grand Chief Michael Nadli is holding Cli to the Wrigley resolution.