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Liidli Kue jumps on bandwagon

Fort Simpson First Nation ready to sign with Aboriginal Pipeline Group

Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Oct 15/01) - The Liidli Kue First Nation is prepared to sign in favour of a Mackenzie Valley pipeline.

Chief Rita Cli says her people have directed her to endorse the Aboriginal Pipeline Group's memorandum of understanding (MOU).



Rita Cli: "... not everybody's going to be happy, but the majority rules."


That marks a significant shift for the LKFN, and Cli said it was brought about by two factors: a recent poll of band members that indicates the majority support the MOU, and changes on a global scale since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

"The mandate has been given to me by our people to go ahead. Our people need jobs," Cli said Friday. "I know not everybody's going to be happy, but the majority rules."

Close to 270 band members signed in favour of the MOU. That's a significant majority as there are fewer than 400 names on the LKFN's voters' list, according to Cli.

"You have to look at the global picture," she said. "We missed the boat once (with the Norman Wells pipeline), do we want to miss it a second time? One-third ownership is better than nothing... to me it's an investment for the future generation."

She added that the LKFN will be seeking a pro-rata formula as the majority of the pipeline in the Deh Cho would be on LKFN traditional territory.

Cli wasn't prepared Friday to say when she would sign the MOU. She is planning to explain the LKFN's decision to her fellow chiefs at a Deh Cho First Nations leadership assembly in Fort Providence this week. However, they will not be able to sway her, as her mandate comes from her membership, she said.

Cli admits she has some security concerns about a pipeline through the NWT as a result of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.