Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

News Release: Concerns Regarding the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards Held at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver (Unceded Coast Salish Territories) On Friday, January 27, 2006

Attn: National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation

We the undersigned are deeply concerned with the high concentration of unethical corporations that sponsor the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards (NAAA). In particular, we disapprove of the NAAA sponsors that have a track record of destroying Indigenous people’s lives and land; namely the Encana Corporation, Shell Canada, and Weyerhauser. We haveresearched these corporations and found blatant and undeniable human rights violations in the territories that they operate in. In addition, many of these corporations have refused to recognize Aboriginal Rights and Title in Canada.

Although many of NAAA’s corporate sponsors claim to “balance out” their environmental and human rights injustices by giving funds or support to Indigenous groups, we see that the harm they produce far outweighs any aesthetic repairs they claim to make. We are also concerned with the NAAA’s failure to involve the grassroots Native community in the organization of the awards and we criticize this exclusive conduct throughout the years. With the observations that we outline below, we trust that you will listen to our concerns and make the necessary changes we request.

We have noted that Encana, Canada’s leading oil company, is an NAAA sponsor that has committed a number of gross Human Rights violations now recognized internationally. Encana is such a disreputable corporation that Ethical Funds filed a shareholder resolution to Encana due to the lack of willingness on part of Encana to adequately address concerns over the social, environmental, and financial risks of a pipeline in construction[1]. While Ethical Funds took these concerns into
consideration, NAAA continues to feature the Encana logo as one of its proud sponsors. To give you a small glimpse into the operations of your sponsor, we urge you to look at the following:

Calgary-based Encana is the largest shareholder of the multi-national oil companies that comprise the Occidental Consortium Pipeline (OCP), with 31.4% ownership, and holding the OCP Presidency title[2].

Encana is currently operating in two oil concession blocks in the home to one of the world’s most unique eco-systems, and the Indigenous Siona Nation in Ecuador. Encana is responsible for the devastation of these Indigenous people, their land, their children, and their lives. Fish are poisoned with crude oil, the water is contaminated, children are sick with sores on their bodies and women are beaten by Encana police[3].

The OCP Pipeline has been embroiled in controversy since it broke ground and has been subject to intensifying local and international opposition. We ask you to take the above in consideration, (and further educate yourself about this corporation), and remove Encana from your list of sponsors.

Weyerhaeuser, another National Aboriginal Achievement Award sponsor, continues to log in endangered forests across Canada and in other regions and dismisses the legitimate concerns of Indigenous communities and shareholders. Many Indigenous people are familiar with the landmark case known as Council of Haida Nation v. Weyerhauser. It was in this
court case that Weyerhauser was found guilty of violating Aboriginal Title through the transfer of their Tree Farm License to Branscan[4]. This is clear evidence that your sponsor does not care about Indigenous people when it comes down to capital benefits versus Indigenous people’s land rights. We ask you to take the above in consideration, (and further
educate yourself about this corporation), and remove Weyerhaeuser from your list of sponsors.

Shell Canada, as part of Shell International, is also an NAAA sponsor that has a track record of being the target of global boycotts due to gross Human Rights violations within its operations (especially in Nigeria) [5]. In exposing what Shell Canada has been doing more closer to home, lets remember what fifteen Tahltan elders were arrested for in September 2005 at Klappan Mountain. These elders stood up for their rights to protect their lands and people from Shell’s coal bed methane proposals as well as Fortune Minerals Ltd. [6]. We ask you to take the above in consideration, (and further educate yourself about this corporation), and remove Shell Canada from your list of sponsors.

In most of our respected Indigenous communities, success reflects the maintenance of the integrity of values taught to us by our grandparents, elders, and ancestors. These are values that respect the earth, our sisters, brothers, elders, and the people in the spirit world. Our songs and dances tell stories of the land, of great events, and of survival.Today many youth’s songs continue that tradition through contemporary and traditional ways.

We think it is crucial that Aboriginal People have a stage where we can highlight our talents and showcase all the things we are proud of, but we also think that NAAA has a responsibility to honor all Indigenous people, their rights, their health and their land.

Success and achievement can never be articulated at the expense of another’s pain. It is not our way. It is now that I come to ask you, the Executive, the organizers, fundraisers, administrators, award recipients, nominees, performers and volunteers of NAAA - please take the above in consideration and begin to do a more thorough research and investigation into corporations and potential sponsors you have in mind prior to selecting them to fund the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards. We entrust that next year and in future NAAA events, based on this letter and further research you have done, you will not have the following corporations as your sponsors:

Encana Corporation, Diavik Diamond Mines Inc., Shell Canada, Suncor Energy Foundation, Syncrude Canada Limited, Weyerhauser, BP Canada Energy Company, Duke Energy Gas Transmission, and TransCanada Pipelines Limited. We also ask that you begin to further research other unethical corporations you are affiliated with and address our concerns by
removing them from your list of sponsors.

We ask that you take our concerns and requests seriously and to heart and make the changes we have asked of you.

Sincerely,

The International Indigenous Youth Conference (IIYC) Secretariat, Gary Farmer - Internationally Renowned Cayuga Actor (Smoke Signals) David Dennis- Vice President of the United Native Nations (UNN), Taiaiake Alfred -National Aboriginal Achievement Award Recipient 2006 and Director of the Indigenous Governance (IGOV) Program at the University of Victoria (UVIC), Suzette Amaya - ThinkNDN Radio 102.7fm Dustin Rivers - Executive Member of Building Our Legacy Together (BOLT), Clayton Thomas-Muller - Native Energy Organizer of the Indigenous Environmental Network†(IEN), Curtis Clearsky - United Nations (UN) Messenger of Truth, Kat Norris – Indigenous Action Group, Redwire Native Youth Media Society

This Letter will be officially signed by the above signatories, sent to The National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation by postal mail and CCed to the above persons, NAAA 2006 volunteers, performers and recipients and to the International Indigenous Youth Conferences participants.

[1] http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/ocp/canada%20campaign.htm
[2] http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/ocp/canada%20campaign.htm
[3]http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/ocp/canada%20ethical.htm
[4] http://www.afn.ca/article.asp?id=1158
[5] http://www.native-net.org/archive/nl/9512/0146.html,http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/96-3/issue8/wiwa.html
[6]http://auto_sol.tao.ca/node/view/1229