Commentary
Environment and Climate Change Minister Stephen Gilbo is back from the COP26 Summit, which is full of enthusiasm and big plans. As a former Greenpeace activist, Gilbo undoubtedly enjoyed a week in Glasgow alongside the world’s top environmental virtue traffic lights. He hated it for a long time because he was eager to rejuvenate and act immediately to crack down on the petrochemical industry.
Gilbo said on Twitter November 12: “Indigenous peoples have been the caretakers of this planet since ancient times. The fight against climate change is impossible without their knowledge and leadership. Any agreement to move forward is the right of indigenous peoples. Must be protected. The end. “
It’s a bold declaration, but does he really mean it?
What if Gilbo’s plan to phase out Canada’s oil and gas sector conflicts with indigenous rights? Do Native Canadians have the right to pursue prosperity for themselves through the development of natural resources on their traditional lands?
The petrochemical sector is one of the top indigenous employers.While indigenous people make up 3.3% of Canada’s workforce, they make up 7.4% The share of national oil and gas workers. Will Guilbeault take these tens of thousands of jobs into account in implementing policies aimed at closing the oil and gas sector?
Canada’s petrochemical industry has built strong and mutually beneficial relationships with many indigenous peoples. 2019, oil sands industry Spent $ 2.4 billion Procurement from indigenous companies. These partnerships and business relationships have brought more indigenous communities closer to financial independence over the last decade than a century-long government program. Are the rights of owners of those indigenous businesses protected from the Crusaders of Climate Change in Gilbo?
Indigenous peoples have a close relationship with their environment and consider themselves to be the caretakers of their land. This does not mean that all indigenous peoples are against the development of natural resources. Resources can be developed responsibly, and the energy sector is partnering with indigenous peoples to ensure that. Does Guilbeault respect the knowledge and leadership of indigenous peoples to support responsible oil and gas development?
Indigenous peoples of Canada have long been used by environmental activists. Indigenous peoples’ rights are often used as a rationale in protesting development, but urban environmentalists rarely actually spend time consulting with the indigenous peoples they claim.
There is no view of indigenous peoples in favor of or against petrochemical development. It is insulting to think that there is no diversity of ideas and opinions among indigenous peoples. Many environmental activists maintain the false belief that indigenous peoples oppose all modern developments and want to live in some sort of self-sufficient lifestyle in isolated reserves. But, like everyone else, indigenous peoples are ambitious and want to enjoy the comfort and opportunities offered by modern resource development. We never find a universal consensus among communities on issues such as local resource development. The will of the majority in the region needs to be determined and respected.
Environmental activists A small number of indigenous opponents as a means To thwart the evolution of British Columbia’s Coastal GasLink pipeline, energy companies have spent years negotiating agreements and partnerships with all indigenous bands affected by the development.Thousands Indigenous people have benefited Supplied from the construction of Kitimat’s gas line and LNG terminal. The indigenous community has been divided as environmental activists seek to use traditional genetic chiefs as a tool to overturn the will of the majority of indigenous peoples in the region. Activists only accept the views of their preferred minority and pay a verbal service to the concept of consultation with indigenous peoples.
Indigenous peoples’ views also vary from region to region. The Mohawks of Ontario should not speak of British Columbia’s resource development more than British Columbia’s Haida members should have about Nova Scotia’s red-spotted shrimp fishery. Seeking indigenous wisdom and leadership in modeling policy is a good principle, but it is not an easy task.
Steven Guilbeault did not keep his intention to close Canada’s oil and gas sector secret. In 2001, he was illegal Scaled Toronto CN Tower I hung a banner to emphasize that point. He argues that the protection of indigenous peoples’ rights in Canada must be considered a top priority in setting his path to combat climate change, but it is unbelievable. Obviously, Gilbo’s intention to close the petrochemical sector would conflict with the rights of thousands of indigenous peoples who have invested in and depended on the industry.
Which side will he take when there is an unavoidable conflict between Gilbo’s environmental idealism and indigenous rights? I suspect that the concerns he has declared about the rights of indigenous peoples will suddenly be forgotten.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
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Cory Morgan is a columnist and business owner based in Calgary, Alberta.
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