A group of Alaska tribal nations is going to the B.C. Supreme Court to demand a seat at the table in Canadian resource development – including a mine expansion that is among the nation-building projects Ottawa has selected as pivotal to economic development.
The Alaska groups argue that their historical use of what is now northwestern B.C. makes them Aboriginal peoples of Canada under the Constitution Act, saying that status should guarantee them the same rights to consultation as Canadian Indigenous groups.
NB: It’s not the first time US Tribes have demanded a say, The Columbia River Treaty now involves Tribes from both the US and Canada.
“The United States’ Columbia River Treaty with Canada governs hydropower and flood control on the 1,200-mile Columbia River. The current treaty, implemented in 1964, does not consider the needs of fish, a healthy river, or the treaty fishing rights and cultural resources that are now fully protected under modern laws.”
Intertribal Cooperation – Thirty-two tribes (fifteen in the US and seventeen in Canada) have come together to assist in the treaty review and participate in creating the next treaty that will incorporate ecosystem requirements.
