A framework accord between the B.C. and Alberta provincial governments doesn't make it any more likely that the Northern Gateway pipeline will be built, according to Carrier Sekani tribal council chief Terry Teegee.
"There are just some projects out there that will never be supported," Teegee said Thursday.
Premiers Christy Clark and Alison Redford agreed on Tuesday that B.C.'s five conditions for new heavy oil pipelines are appropriate and that Alberta's national energy strategy should move forward. Although the pair weren't specifically addressing Northern Gateway's plan to connect northern Alberta and Kitimat with a pipeline, it's the project furthest along in the regulatory process.
However Teegee said B.C.'s fourth condition, which is meant to ensure appropriate consultation and compensation for First Nations along any pipeline route, doesn't go far enough. Rather than being consulted, he believes First Nations people should give their free, prior and informed consent before any new pipelines are built.
"These governments, both federally and provincially, need to understand that we're a form of government," Teegee said. "Our communities have decision-making authorities, especially considering the fact we have unsettled hearings."
Just how First Nations groups like the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council will be able to exercise their claims about what can happen on their traditional lands was being debated on Thursday at the Supreme Court in Ottawa. The Tsilhqot'in aboriginal title case made its way to the top court, with First Nations arguing they had control of resources on their traditional lands and governments countering that those rights are limited and not absolute.
Teegee was watching a webcast of the proceedings and described the case as "monumental."
"I think this will have huge implications not only for the Northern Gateway pipeline, but other developments in this province," he said. "If it doesn't go our way, we'll be put in these certain areas where we need to prove we have jurisdiction and have occupation but if it does go our way it would be a good thing to assert what we have from previous court cases."
In the meantime, Teegee said he's willing to meet with federal and provincial officials about development proposals, like Northern Gateway, so long as the discussions are respectful of his group's concerns.
In the past months Teegee's met with the likes of Natural Gas Development Minister Rich Coleman and Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister John Rustad, but he would still like to meet with Clark to discuss oil and gas pipeline issues.
Teegee also sat down with federal envoy Doug Eyford. By the end of the month Eyford is expected to provide a report to Prime Minister Stephen Harper as a result of his consultation over the past eight months.
"We told him about our issues with the regulatory process, such as the [Northern Gateway] Joint Review Panel, also our issues with development in general," Teegee said.
Teegee said a coalition of Northern Gateway opponents will hold a rally on Nov. 16 beginning at 1 p.m. at the Civic Centre and then march to MLA Shirley Bond's downtown constituency office as part of a national day of action.
The National Energy Board is expected to issue its recommendation on the future of Northern Gateway by the end of the year, but Teegee said his group will continue to fight the project long after this stage of the regulatory process wraps up.
"We'll use any means possible, whether it's direct action or legal action," he said. "I think our people will do exactly what they've said they'll do, they'll be out there stopping the bulldozers and big machinery."
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