Leaders lose sight of tradition, chief says

Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Fort Providence (Sep 23/05) - The windfall that could accompany the proposed MacKenzie Valley Pipeline has caused some Dehcho leaders to forget their traditional values, one chief warned last week.

Hay River Reserve Chief Roy Fabian says some leaders have lost sight of traditional values because of the proposed Mackenzie Valley Pipeline. - Andrew Raven/NNSL photo

"A few communities want everything for themselves," said Hay River Reserve head Roy Fabian.

"We are moving towards the English concept of (land) ownership."

Fabian made the comments Sept. 14, during the Dehcho First Nations fall leadership conference in Fort Providence.

They were the latest shots in the simmering conflict between Dehcho leaders over the $7 billion pipeline project.

In April, the five communities along the pipeline route were given the go-ahead to negotiate, on behalf of the entire region, with the oil companies behind the pipeline.

The Deh Gah Alliance, however, has been criticized by leaders who believe the needs of the surrounding Dehcho communities are on the back burner.

Fabian said Wednesday those settlements will feel the effects of industrial development and deserve a place at the bargaining table.

Liidlii Kue First Nation Chief and Deh Gah Alliance head Keyna Norwegian called the criticisms "hurtful." She said the alliance was committed to getting a fair compensation package for the entire Dehcho.

"I thought we had overcome this hurdle," she said.

The alliance allows the Dehcho to separate pipeline talks from self-government negotiations, an essential part of getting both deals done, Norwegian said.

Fabian warned, though, that internal divisions over the alliance could threaten the pipeline.

"There will be no pipeline unless it crosses my land," he said. "Unfortunately as chief, I will have to start protecting my land."

Despite the sometimes contentious language, the leaders unanimously agreed to support the alliance in its call for annual lease payments from the oil companies in return for using Dehcho land.