Letter Opposing Man Camps in Mi'kma'ki
- Hummingbird Hannah
- Jun 24, 2021
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 30, 2021
*Photo of Ducie Howe (left) and Tara Lewis (right) -- captured by Joey Brooks*
{Letter is below -- Here is the link to the petition if you haven't yet signed or shared: https://www.change.org/p/kmkno-mi-kmaq-rights-initiative-oppose-the-construction-of-man-camps-in-mi-kma-ki-nova-scotia?recruiter=1116843508&recruited_by_id=0d56d1b0-aea2-11ea-bf1a-93043052e47a&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=petition_dashboard }
To whom it must concern,
My name is ____________________ and I am from ____________________ and I reject the LNG Project in Mi'kma'ki.
First and foremost I would like to attach here the open letter penned by the Mi'kmaq Warriors Society to Government Representatives, Pieridae Energy, and Investors of this proposed LNG Project. It is available for you to review at the link below {and this letter will also be copied and pasted at the bottom of this email to ensure the words of the Mi'kmaq Warrior Society are not overlooked) before carrying on with this letter.
OPEN LETTER FROM THE MI"KMAQ WARRIOR SOCIETY:
Now that you've reviewed the letter above I wish to write to you personally on this matter.
The People of Mi'kma'ki have spoken up to oppose the construction of Man Camps in Nova Scotia. We reject any LNG/Pieridae Project in Nova Scotia and any other Mi'kmaq territory.
We feel that temporary profits (which in large part would not be beneficial to citizens of this land), are not worth the danger that the Goldboro LNG Project invites if it moves forward. The construction of this plant, and a camp to accommodate some 5000 people to work within, likely with many on a rotational schedule to travel between provinces, poses a threat to our safety as a province with covid19 increasingly evolving with new, aggressive variants alone.
This project would also be a major blow to Nova Scotia's greenhouse gas reduction targets, and would negatively affect the people, wildlife, land and waterways of Mi'kma'ki. Green Peace has their own petition circulating (with almost 14000 signatures at the time of this letter and climbing) and describes this specific projects below;
"... As we face a climate crisis, Pieridae Energy is saying it will make a final decision about the feasibility of it’s Goldboro liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant project in Nova Scotia by the end of June 2021. While the company is trying to position the project as a green initiative — by allegedly reducing reliance on coal in the countries it will export to — fossil gas is not part of a green transition. Substituting one fossil fuel for another perpetuates our reliance on them. It doesn't power the renewable energy transition we desperately need. Actually, new LNG exchange infrastructure could have the adverse effect and discourage the necessary transition to greener energy sources in the markets targeted by the project. The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently stated there is no need for investment in new fossil fuel supply in a net zero emission pathway. The IEA also states that between 2020 and 2050, natural gas traded as LNG must be reduced by 60%."
Furthermore, there have been reports shown on the effects of man camps correlating as a direct danger to Indigenous women+ and girls+.
We have been able to see this with more clarity since the RCMP released their report in May 2014 as their first official effort to determine just how many Indigenous Women+ and Girls+ were being murdered and disappeared. {More information here; https://www.amnesty.ca/our-work/campaigns/no-more-stolen-sisters/human-rights-crisis
and here; https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/indigenous-autochtone/mmaw-fada-eng.htm -- to start.}
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women+, Girls+, Two-Spirit Persons, and Relatives is an epidemic of this country now known as Canada, with the Canadian government doing little to stop it. Camps like these result in sexualization and violence towards Indigenous People, including youth, notoriously. In response to this proposed project many Mi'kmaw people spoke against it, making their rejection known and holding ceremonies to join together and bring awareness. Many of these people taking the lead on protecting us from this are Mi'kmaw women+, Grassroots Grandmothers, and elders.
In addition, we created a campaign on change.org to shed light on just how many people oppose this project. It was created a few days ago and already has over NINETEEN THOUSAND (19300) signatures (at the time this letter was written with numbers climbing fast.
This is far more than double the amount of people that would be housed in this proposed camp. You can see the increasing support here;
This is the unceded land of the Mi'kmaq and this project has no place here. It is not too much to ask to protect the environment and people of this land. The Mi'kmaq have been travelling across Mi'kma'ki anywhere from 11 000 to 15 000 years. Long before we, as a society, began raping the Earth for her resources. Mi'kma'ki predates capitalism and colonialist ideals, and we are speaking out to say that NO, we do not want fracking here, and NO we do not want man camps here. What we want is the genocide all across Turtle Island to STOP.
Attached here is the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action;
and here is the Native Women's Association of Canada's Action Plan that also details the 231 Calls for Justice;
We do not see anything close to Reconciliation in this project. In closing; the people of Mi'kma'ki reject the proposed project of Pieridae Energy. We reject the Goldboro LNG plant, and we reject the construction of man camps. Our wish is to amplify Indigenous voices, protect life, land, and water. We ask that you think seriously about how this project negatively affects this nation outside of a capitalistic mindset and consider that thousands of the people have spoken against this. We will be awaiting acknowledgement of receipt of these concerns, the halting of all forward progression with this project, as well as tangible acts on the way to action towards true reconciliation. With great expectation;
Hannah Cameron
Sipekne'katik, Mi'kma'ki *She*Her*They* OPEN Letter from the Mi’kmaq Warrior Society
Dear Government Representatives, Pieredae Energy, and Investors. We are writing to you today to express our disapproval of LNG Shale gas/oil exploration and or development; and the construction and development of a 5,000 manned man camp in our territory. We see the development of this kind not only as a threat to our spirituality, customs, way of life, but we also see them as another form of perpetuated genocide by the Government of Canada in partnership with Pieredae Energy. This proposed project is in an area where we actively practice our hereditary hunting/fishing rights; rights that we have had since time immemorial. Although Pieredae LNG project is in its pre-operational stages; the Federal and Provincial Government has failed the Crown’s fiduciary duty to consult the grassroots people about your company's interests in LNG development, exportation, and man camps in Atlantic Canada prior to issuing the company any leases or permits. The L'nu/Mi'kmaq people live, fish, hunt and thrive off our waters and land in Mi’kma’ki. Our main concern is the protection of our waters, women and girls; and these proposed projects that your company wants to conduct in our territory put what we consider sacred at risk. LNG development, exportation and man camps are described in the MMIW final report as being a serious problem that required focused attention on the relationship between resource extraction projects and the violence against Indigenous women. We see this type of development as a threat to not only our spirituality, customs, way of life, but we also see them as another form of cultural genocide by the Government, Pieredae Energy and their Investors. Most of our L'nu-Mi'kmaq people rely on the natural resources that our mother earth has provided for us, resources such as: medicines, plants, berries, fish, lobsters, eels, animals, and birds to survive. 85% of our L’nu/Mi’kmaq population live in poverty and the only way to survive is off our natural resources is from our land and waters; therefore, any destruction done to our lands and waters is a threat to not only our way of life, but also as a threat to our overall survival. It is our request that all projects, leases, and permits issued to Pieredae Energy by the Government come to a halt until all Mi'kmaq-L'nu, and Wabanaki communities, as sovereign individuals are Meaningfully Consulted, and that we are able to come to an informed decision as collective individuals as we invoke the right to ‘free prior and informed consent’. The honor of the crown is at stake with the duty to meaningfully consult (Haida Nation and Taku River Cases/Delguukmew Decision) with all Mi'kmaq-L'nu and Wabanaki communities in the Atlantic Region with projects such oil/gas exploration/development by Pieredae Energy and the Federal and Provincial governments, prior to any inch of our sovereign unceded and unsurrendered Territory of Mi’kma’ki being leased or permitted for such development. These projects are a sad reflection of the modern disdain for the environment and will drastically reduce both the health of the local ecosystem and the quality of life in Atlantic Canada and surrounding areas. Destruction of our water is another form of genocide not only to our people but to the fragile environment and endangered species that call it their home. These attacks to our people’s water source infringe on the integrity of our cultural resources and heritage in our own region. Allowing further development violates our Treaty Rights to not only hunt, fish, and gather from; but our Treaty Right, Aboriginal Right, and Title Right to the land and water itself. Our Aboriginal rights are unique because they are protected by the Canadian Constitution Section 35(1982), affirmed by the various SCC Court Case Decisions and the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Rights (2007, signed by Canada 2010). It is our demand that all activities come to a complete halt, and all permits and licenses be revoked. As we assert our rights as Sovereign Mi’kmaq-L’nu Nation and assert our rights to unite in solidarity with other Nations, we vow that we will do whatever it takes to protect our water, the blood of the earth in our traditional territory and our women who are the heart of our nation. Regards, The Mi’kmaq Warrior Society
RECIPIENTS OF THE LETTER
*There will be an easy copy & paste list at the bottom of the page, this first section is just to detail the titles of each recipient -- please feel free to add anyone else you deem relevant to the decision making process and share with others (including me!).* Phone numbers may appear different than on other email template lists -- each of these people usually have multiple numbers, I've included the phone number relevant to their title on this list.
Kmkno (Mi'kmaq Rights Initiatives) *perhaps only appropriate for Mi'kmaw folx to send here?*
Pieridae Energy
Halifax office (1718 Argyle St., Suite 730) 902-492-4044
Calgary office 403-261-5900
Justin Trudeau - Prime Minister of Canada
613-992-4211
Chrystia Freeland - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Toronto Office 416-928-1451
House of Commons 613-992-5234
Sean Fraser - Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
New Glasgow Office 1-844-641-5886
Antigonish 902-867-2919
Keith Irving - Minister for Environment and Climate Change
(902) 424-3736
Chuck Porter - Minister of Lands and Forestry
(902) 424-5935
Bernadette Jordan - Minister of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Bernadette.Jordan@parl.gc.ca, min@dfo-mpo.gc.ca NS office: 902-527-5655
House of Commons: 613-996-0877
Iain Rankin - Nova Scotia Premier PREMIER@novascotia.ca, info@iainrankin.ca
Intergovernmental Affairs (902) 424-5153 L'nu Affairs (902) 424-7409
Office (902) 424-6600
Keith Colwell - Minister of Agriculture MIN_DAG@novascotia.ca, keithcolwell@eastlink.ca
(902) 424-4388
Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture (902) 424-8953 Randy Delorey - Attorney General and Minister of Justice office@antigonishmla.ca, JUSTMIN@novascotia.ca (902) 424-4030
Antigonish office 902-870-5899
Tony Ince - Minister responsible for the Office of Equity and Anti-racism Initiatives tonyince@tonyincemla.ca, CNSMinister@novascotia.ca
902-406-3288
*Can I please ask for folx to call as well as email (even if it is simply to say that there is an urgent email waiting in their inbox that needs to be addressed) -- this is very time sensitive as final investment decisions are to be made on this by the 30th of June -- I would hate for these emails to still be sitting in an inbox unread on the deadline. Easy copy and paste email list below <3 * Wela'lioq for showing up! <3
Comments