The current and former Tsilhqot'in National Government tribal chiefs traded barbs Tuesday as the B.C. business community made a push for the proposed New Prosperity copper and gold mine.
Current chief Joe Alphonse characterized the open pit mine proposed for the Cariboo as "worst project Canada has ever looked at," while former chief Ervin Charleyboy said it's required for the future of his people.
Charleyboy was speaking in Vancouver at an event organized by the B.C. Chamber of Commerce which aimed to show business and political leaders in the province support the plan because of its economic benefits.
An environmental assessment report for the controversial mine concluded it could pose significant adverse effects to fish and fish habitat due to seepage from a tailings pond. Additional the three-member Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency panel found that the project could infringe on traditional aboriginal use of the land.
Taseko, the company behind the plan, has asked for a judicial review of the findings. The company believes Natural Resources Canada provided improper evidence.
On Tuesday, speakers ranging from provincial energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett to Williams Lake Mayor Kerry Cook said the project is key for the Cariboo's economy and they believe it can be built without any significant impacts.
"Without the New Prosperity development, our capacity to make the transition to a more advanced economic base in Williams Lake and our region is diminished," Cook said. "Balancing economic development with environmental responsibility is possible and expected."
But it was Charleyboy's comments that were the most pointed. He accused current chiefs of having a personal vendetta against Taseko and some of the company's senior executives and said the chiefs' refusal to meet with industry and government groups have hampered consultation efforts.
"When I first supporting this New Prosperity mine, I didn't make myself very popular," Charleyboy said. "Even to this day no body talks to me, all the six chiefs region don't talk to me, they're mad because I support the mine."
He said the current leaders have intimidated him and other who support the project.
"I talked to a lot of young people out there and they're all for the mine, but they're scared to speak out because they'll get intimidated like they tried to do with me," he said.
Alphonse countered that he and other chiefs have worked hard to give young people a voice because his generation was taught not to speak out when they attended residential schools.
"We have the full support of our nation," Alphonse said. "The panel hearing went through our communities and nobody was forced to go up and speak, people went up on their own."
Alphonse didn't deny the suggestion that he have a vendetta against Taseko, but doesn't see a problem with it.
"It's beyond a personal vendetta," he said. "But is it a crime to have a personal vendetta?"
The history between Taseko and TNG goes back decades. The project has been on the drawing board for years and an initial design was rejected by the federal government in 2010 due to environmental concerns. The company came back with a revised proposal which aimed to satisfy First Nations and environmental concerns.
The new plan won over Charleyboy, but not Alphonse, who described the company's tactics as desperate.
"Like a wounded animal, the last few breaths they take, that's when they're most dangerous," he said. "That's when they're going to strike out and that's where this company is at."
Bennett will be travelling to Ottawa later this week to bend the ears of a dozen B.C. MPs as well as four cabinet ministers regarding his view of the importance of the project. He will be sitting down with Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver, whose ministry is at the centre of the dispute over the tailings pond, but Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq is not on Bennett's itinerary. Aglukkaq is currently reviewing the report and must report to cabinet in the coming months.
Alphonse urged the federal ministers to consult with their lawyers before reaching a decision.
If the mine is approved, TNG plans to launch legal action.
"We would do everything in our power to stop this project, I mean everything," he said. "We will end up in a court of law."
