Yellowknife (Apr 28/06) - Comments from the new Indian Affairs minister about pushing forward with the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline project are just examples of posturing, said Grand Chief Herb Norwegian.

On April 19 in his speech at the Circle of Northern Leader's meeting in Norman Wells, Jim Prentice said the government of Canada will not wait for complete consensus from aboriginal groups to move forward with the pipeline project.

"Unanimity would be an excellent outcome, but it is not always attainable, and we do not intend to allow the legitimate aspirations and prosperity of the majority of aboriginal and non-aboriginal stakeholders to be frustrated by inaction," Prentice told the gathered leaders.

Norwegian said he believes those statements were meant to give reassurance to investors and big oil companies. Ministers in a minority government have a tendency to speak tough because they are on a short leash, he said.

"Threats are all part of this business. They have been passed around since the first land treaties in the 1920s," said Norwegian.

"We've heard it all. Pour it on, let's see what you've got," he said.

Verbal threats are not going to make the Dehcho First Nations pack up and go home, said Norwegian, because this is their home.

"We are still standing firm," he said.

A number of initiatives, including negotiations on land and governance and finalization of the Dehcho land use plan, still need to be completed, said Norwegian.

The Dehcho First Nations are also waiting for oil companies to treat them as owners of the land instead of panhandlers while working on access and benefits agreements, he said.

Norwegian said he anticipated many of Prentice's comments. The two men met a week ago in Calgary. Prentice wanted to know what it would take to get the Dehcho onside with the pipeline, said Norwegian.

So far, Prentice hasn't given the Dehcho First Nations the benefit of the doubt to sit down face to face and see which issues can be resolved, he said.

"It's been eyeball to eyeball and we are just waiting for the other side to blink," said Norwegian.