Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you for the opportunity to present to you.
I have copies here of a resolution that our chiefs passed earlier this year, which I'd like handed out to the committee members. Also, I'm here on short notice and I will make a copy of my presentation for the clerk. I think I can present this within the timeframe allotted.
For the record, my name is Bill Erasmus. I'm the regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations for the Northwest Territories, and I'm also the Dene national chief. We have 30 communities downstream from the development in northern Alberta, and it is of huge concern to us. I am also a member of Treaty 8, the same treaty as the other members from first nations here at the table. We're the farthest community north under Treaty 8, so we cover essentially the same territory.
As you know, the tar sands development is located in and around the Fort McMurray and Fort McKay area, as mentioned by the chief earlier, and it is upstream of the Athabasca River basin.
Current tar sands development has completely altered the landscape of the Athabasca delta and watershed. The tar sands development and exploitation has resulted in many negative impacts, including deforestation of the boreal forests, open-pit mining, de-watering of water systems and watersheds, toxic contamination, disruption of habitat and biodiversity, and disruption of Dene, Cree, and Métis hunting and trapping rights.
Many first nations people do not know the levels of contamination of the traditional wild foods that we consume. We would like regular government testing of our traditional foods to ensure that contaminants and toxins do not exceed recommended levels.
The multiple effects of tar sand operations on water are of great concern to first nations communities. For example, vast quantities of water are used for tar sands development, amounting to approximately 349 million cubic metres per year. As people have mentioned, that's twice the amount of water used by the city of Calgary, and 90% of the water used cannot be returned to the water system afterwards.
Greenhouse gas emissions from tar sands production are three times those of conventional oil and gas production. We've been advised that current tar sands production emits 27 megatonnes per annum, and it is expected to rise to 108 to 126 megatonnes by 2015. Thus the tar sands are poised to become Canada's largest single emitter of greenhouse gases, compounding this country's contribution to global warming.
First nations communities who live near tar sands projects in northern Alberta have been noticing decreasing water levels in lakes and rivers as oil production has increased.
There's also a noticeable peak in negative health impacts in first nation populations due to their close dependence on the land and river. Rare and strange cancers are increasing, and abnormalities in wildlife are becoming commonplace. Unfortunately, the public and the governments of Canada and Alberta still do not understand that first nations communities are the populations most negatively impacted and affected by tar sands development.
The traditional lands of first nations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories are being destroyed for tar sands exploration and extraction. And first nations are not being included or properly compensated for those lost and destroyed lands, water supplies, breaches of treaty rights, and loss of traditional foods. The Dene and the Cree first nations and the Métis live close to or in the midst of these tar sands deposits, mostly along the Athabasca River basin area.
From February 16 to 19, 2009, the Dene Nation convened a leadership meeting in Yellowknife for the purpose of addressing issues concerning the Dene. During this meeting, a number of resolutions were put forward regarding the impact of the Alberta tar sands—and especially concerning the impact on water. We are providing you with a copy of the resolution we adopted.
We are disappointed that the governments of Alberta and Canada failed to live up to the financial, fiduciary, and moral responsibilities to manage the Alberta tar sands in an environmentally responsible way. We are disappointed that the Government of Alberta has encouraged the rapid expansion of the Alberta tar sands without implementing adequate regulatory or environmental protections to reduce negative impacts of individual projects or the cumulative impacts of all projects considered together. We are also disappointed that the Government of Alberta has failed to take adequate steps to protect water, fish, and migratory species.
This mismanagement is no longer an issue just for Albertans. It is now an urgent threat to all downstream communities in the Mackenzie basin, most critically, at this point in time, in terms of risk to water quality posed by leaks from the huge tailings ponds into the Athabasca River. A large-scale breach of tailings ponds with a resulting massive uncontrolled inflow of highly toxic poisonous water into the Athabasca River and the rest of the Mackenzie basin would be an unmanageable catastrophe.
Therefore, it was resolved that all members of the NWT Association of Communities call on the Government of Alberta to immediately halt tar sands expansion until the following provisions are in place: one, public contingency plans for catastrophic breaches of tar sands tailings ponds; two, a plan to fix existing leaks in current tailings ponds; three, a ten-year plan to reclaim all existing tailings ponds that do not involve any release of toxic effluents into the river system; four, a commitment to use dry tailings technology for all future tar sands development; and five, a commitment to hold extensive environmental hearings--with standing for NWT communities--on the cumulative impacts of the tar sands projects, including any plans to allow water from the tailings ponds into the Athabasca River.
It is further resolved that until these conditions are in place, all governments in the Northwest Territories and across North America be called upon to implement a low-carbon fuel standard that would decrease reliance on or entirely eliminate the use of dirty tar sands oil.
Now to recommendations. Turning to our purpose for being here today, Mr. Chairman, we are pleased to offer this committee our perspectives on the negative impacts of tar sands exploitation on first nation communities and lands.
Apart from calls for consultation and accommodation, the free and prior informed consent of first nations interests must be carried out before any further activity in the oil sands.
A federal and provincial governance must incorporate first nations' unique knowledge into decision-making. This is because first nations' knowledge comes from their historic current and ongoing relationship with the land and water.
In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, it is essential that the federal government recognize first nation jurisdictions and authorities. Government cannot continue to work in isolation, as first nations have much to offer. We insist that the governments of Canada and Alberta meet their responsibility to ensure that the cumulative and environmental impacts of the exploitation of the tar sands oil do not irreparably damage the planet for future generations.
Again, Mr. Chairman, we ask this committee to include in their report our recommendations and resolutions with regard to the halting of further expansion of tar sands operations until the above-mentioned tailings ponds provisions are met.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.