Global Courant 2023-05-12 15:30:00
Mi’kmaw and Wolastoqey communities in New Brunswick are criticizing comments allegedly made by Prime Minister Blaine Higgs, showing his willingness to continue fracking without their approval.
They say his recent remarks “again show his complete disregard” for First Nations rights.
Higgs, who is at an international hydrogen summit in the Netherlands, told an online business publication, allNewBrunswick, that the clock is ticking for the province to take advantage of willing partners in Europe for natural gas.
“We have to deal with it,” he said.
Prime Minister Blaine Higgs spoke to the online business publication allNewBrunswick about the future of fracking in the province. (Ed Hunter/CBC)
“I want First Nations to be a part of this, but there comes a time when you just have to find a way to move forward, if I can’t have a meaningful discussion to make it happen,” he said.
A joint statement from the leaders of Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn Inc., which represents New Brunswick’s Mi’kmaw communities, said the comments show the Prime Minister’s “disinterest in addressing any concerns that are not within adapt his approach”.
“His sudden change of position, without any further dialogue with First Nations, also underscores why First Nations have no confidence in the Higgs government,” the statement said.
There is no shortcut around a legal requirement for Indigenous consent– Allan Polchies Jr., head of Sitansisk First Nation
Wolastoqey leaders also reacted quickly, saying the prime minister has gone back on his word.
“The oilman cannot be trusted to keep his word or protect the interests of his own province over his own export ambitions,” said Chief Patricia Bernard of Matawaskiye, Madawaska, in northwestern New Brunswick.
“There is no shortcut around a legal requirement for indigenous consent. Higgs needs to go back to his European vacation,” said Chief Allan Polchies Jr. of Sitansisk (St. Mary’s) in Fredericton.
Chief Tim Paul of Wotstak (Woodstock) said: “Our message to any country or company placing its energy hopes or plans in Blaine Higgs is simple: keep looking.
“This man has repeatedly gone back on his word and tried to bend our own words against us. He is not a suitable partner for any business.”
Chief Alan Polchies Jr. van Sitansisk, along with other First Nations chiefs, said in a statement that fracking will not happen without permission. (Jennifer Sweet/CBC)
In a press release on Thursday, the leaders of Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn Inc. that the Prime Minister had written to them in January promising that natural gas development can only take place “with the support of First Nations and in the context of a business relationship with and engagement of First Nations.”
Comments ‘flying in the face’ of pledges: chiefs
The chiefs say the prime minister’s latest comments “go against his previous commitments, as well as the Commission’s recommendations on hydraulic fracturing”.
Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is the process used to extract shale gas. A mixture of sand, water and chemicals is fired in a shale bed to release the gas embedded in the rock.
The leaders said resource development “will not take place on Mi’gmaq territory without Mi’gmaq’s consent, which requires community support and a robust process of consultation and impact assessment.”
To date, that has not happened, they said.
“As a result, there are no active discussions about natural gas development between the New Brunswick government and the communities MTI represents.”
The chiefs’ statement said the Prime Minister’s “sudden change of position, without any further dialogue with First Nations, also underscores why First Nations lack confidence in the Higgs government.”
“This should be a concern for every investor and for all New Brunswickers.”
The province was asked to confirm whether there is a plan to pursue a shale gas industry without the consent of First Nations, but a response was not provided at time of publication.
When a Texas company began testing the viability of such an industry in eastern New Brunswick in 2017, Indigenous peoples were among those who protested throughout the summer. First Nations said they had not been meaningfully consulted,
The company, SWN Resources, had said there was a 10 percent chance shale gas would become viable for the company and completed its exploration work that year.
