Alberta’s ploy to break First Nations' pipeline opposition

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Revealed: Alberta’s ploy to break First Nations' pipeline opposition

[ http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ ... opposition ]

Premier Jim Prentice angled for Alberta’s First Nations to sign a pact that would turn them into pro-pipeline lobbyists in exchange for oil and gas profits

Martin Lukacs Wednesday 29 April 2015 14.18 BST Last modified on Wednesday 29 April 2015 14.21 BST

The Alberta government escalated its campaign to build tar sands pipelines under Premier Jim Prentice by seeking to have First Nations become full-blown proponents of the projects in return for oil revenues.

Documents obtained by the Guardian show that under a proposed agreement the province would have funded a task force of Alberta First Nations and government officials to “work jointly on removing bottlenecks and enabling the construction of pipelines to tide-water in the east and west coasts.”

The push was part of a broader diplomatic offensive launched by Progressive Conservative Premier Jim Prentice after he came to power in late 2014, making approval of pipelines his highest priority. Prentice is currently struggling to win re-election.

First Nations have been at the forefront of a growing movement that has delayed the construction of pipelines that would carry Alberta’s controversial tar sands to international markets, raising fears among politicians and investors that the crude will remain landlocked.

The agreement, drafts of which were seen by the Guardian, would have committed Alberta First Nations to conduct regular briefings with TransCanada, Enbridge and Kinder Morgan and to reach out to other First Nations in British Columbia and elsewhere to identify ways of getting their support for pipelines.

In exchange, they would be granted a share of oil royalties and opportunities to become investors or owners of oil enterprises or projects.

Discussions were handled by Joe Dion, an aboriginal oil businessman close to the Progressive Conservative party, who shuttled between Premier Prentice and Alberta’s First Nations.

“I’ve been talking to Jim Prentice about getting an agreement to work with all First Nations to get access to tidewater. I discussed it with him after he got elected. We did drafts, which have been sent to the Premier,” he said. “[Prentice] would like to get it going. He needs First Nations support to get access to the west coast, for the Keystone XL pipeline, for the Energy East pipeline.”
[ http://www.theguardian.com/environment/energy ]

The agreement would also have committed Alberta First Nations to “urge others engaged in litigation against Alberta to withdraw their legal challenges.”

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[ http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ ... opposition ]