MNI INTERVIEW: No Canada Oil Pipeline Backer Yet-Tribal Leader

Prime Minister Mark Carney is failing to win indigenous support for a crude oil pipeline to the west coast which would allow Canada to reach markets other than the U.S., making it difficult to find any private investor to build it, the head of an Alberta tribal group told MNI.

The prime minister's recent memorandum of understanding with Alberta to fast-track a pipeline was announced before consultation with indigenous communities, noted Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi of Alberta’s Treaty 8 First Nations.

"We have to talk about resource revenue sharing throughout Alberta, because not every single nation will be accommodated, but they will be impacted,” he said. “The courts are siding with us time and time again. It’s time to do things fundamentally differently.” 

Mercredi has seen no evidence the government has found any investor willing to build the multi-billion dollar project. Political stakes are also high with Premier Danielle Smith suggesting there could a referendum on separation if most Alberta oil remains landlocked because of what she calls federal interference. (See MNI INTERVIEW: Mines Coming Before Pipeline- Ex Canada Adviser)

UNCLEAR THRESHOLD

The pipeline would likely cross dozens of tribal communities in Alberta and British Columbia, and there is no firm legal rule about what percentage of them need to agree. Carney says the deal with Alberta is a starting point and meaningful consultations will obtain genuine consent before any construction. Mercredi declined to say what that level of tribal support would lead to acceptance. 

“That’s a question for the federal and provincial governments, because they seem to have their idea of what that threshold should be,” Mercredi said. Treaty 8 nations also won’t seek to override or conflict with other bands that may object, he said.  

“We’re looking at more of an approach where we’re all together, in unity, so we can move these projects forward. In a good way, with certainty, exactly what the investors want,” he said.

Alberta is already talking about side-stepping Carney's demand for a private investor with an indigenous fund to negotiate ownership stakes for local bands, Mercredi said. This can be problematic because it divides tribes between signing a deal or getting nothing, while doing little to address historical inequities, he said. 

TIME TO ACT DIFFERENTLY

“A lot of times the nations will not give the green light to the projects because the health impacts, the environmental impacts, are too heavy for them to accept. So they are pushed aside, they receive no impact-benefit agreements,” Mercredi said. 

Canada needs to move fast because of Donald Trump's threats of economic domination according to Carney, an argument Mercredi says cannot be used to bypass local rights. 

Good will was diminished further when Carney's resource minister suggested in a CBC television interview that some consultations could be done via Zoom calls.  

“We do know that there’s an issue here in Canada when it comes to major projects,” Mercredi said. “If Canada wants to push these projects hard and fast, they’d better be willing to accommodate our people.” (See: MNI INTERVIEW: Alberta Says BC Pipeline Must Be Fast-Tracked)