EDITORIAL — Ottawa panders to arrogant extremists — New-age imperialism

Environmentalists opposed to changing the boundary of the proposed Tuktut Nogait park in the Northwest Territories are waging a propaganda war against native Canadians. In doing so, they are snatching from northern communities an excellent opportunity to become economically self-sufficient.

Meanwhile, the government of Canada is ramming a bill through Parliament that shamelessly ignores the natives’ request to make a minor change to the park boundary to facilitate the exploration of a huge, possibly significant, untested gravity anomaly. And, as if such heavy-handed machinations were not enough, both government and environmental groups have accused the Inuvialuit people of selling out to business and abandoning their historic role as protectors of wildlife and the environment.

Nellie Cournoyea of the Inuvialuit Regional Corp., Richard Binder of the Inuvialuit Game Council and Rueben Green of the Paulatuk Community Corp. came to Ottawa in late May to speak out against Bill C-38, which would set aside in perpetuity 16,340 sq. km of land in their settlement region for Tuktut Nogait.

They pointed out that the bill does not mention that the park will be one of Canada’s first co-managed parks, meaning that aboriginal people must be involved in its administration and have a say in park-related decisions. One section of the bill allows the native groups to review the terms of the park proposal, while another states that the agreement must not abrogate or diminish their economic rights or benefits. And, last but not least, five of the six park signatories support the amended boundary.

The Inuvialuit representatives were dismayed that Ottawa ignored their legal rights and dismissed their initiative as a sellout of environmental principles.

“[We] place the highest priority on wildlife conservation and ecological protection,” Binder told the bureaucrats. “This priority is reflected in stringent regulation and co-management regimes that have been commended by national and international environmental organizations.”

The Inuvialuit also pointed out that they have set aside 29% of the settlement area for parks and protected areas, “a proportion unparalleled by any other jurisdiction in Canada.” In contrast, many provinces are still struggling to achieve 12% protected status.

Environmental groups are now warning the world that the Inuvialuit proposal puts at risk the survival of the Bluenose caribou herd; a position that Binder describes as “both uninformed and offensive.”

Firstly, he points out that the amendment would affect about 2.5% of the proposed park. Next, he told Ottawa that the Inuvialuit had demonstrated their commitment to caribou protection many times over by setting aside more protected areas for caribou than any other jurisdiction: Ivvavik National Park for the Porcupine herd, Aulavik National Park for the Peary herd and now Tuktut Nogait for the Bluenose. “No other Canadians have done as much to protect caribou as the Inuvialuit, at a considerable cost already in forgone economic opportunity.”

Finally, the delegates reassured Ottawa that the proposal had the support of local communities. Cournoyea said the request for a boundary adjustment was grounded in long, serious discussions in Paulatuk and the settlement region.

“This is not a vast, empty wilderness for the taking; this is our home,” she said. “Inuvialuit have travelled the area designated for Tutkut Nogait, lived in it, sometimes thriving, sometimes struggling, and sometimes starving to death in the rough and barren reaches of the Tuktut Nogait area. Our stake in this land is recognized and protected by the Constitution Act of this country and we are determined that this stake will not be comprised.” Fine words, Nellie, but wake up and smell the cappuccino. The boys in Ottawa and their green partners-in-shame want their park intact; natives be damned.