With our spring rainfall, because of the floods, I cannot help but think about what's going to happen if the tailings dams breach or if this is going to cause it. Is there a plan in place to protect our community, to protect our river, to protect our future generations? Despite calls for a comprehensive health study on the impact of the tar sands development on downstream communities, we've never had the same completed. I firmly believe that had they been located somewhere else, the government would have demanded industry build a world-class water monitoring facility, and yet we've been left unprotected.
Hydraulic fracturing for natural gas also occurs in Treaty 8. We have no idea what industry is injecting into the bones of mother earth or the cumulative and synergistic effects of mixing all these toxic compounds together, because this information, unlike our health and the environment, is deemed protected.
While we are dehumanized, our homelands are being destroyed by uncontrolled industrial development. We deserve both justice and accountability, which includes not only transparency but also clearly delineated timelines when it comes to assessing toxic chemicals and obtaining safer substitutions.
CEPA was to be reviewed every five years, and yet here we are, almost 25 years later, finally getting around to strengthening parts of the act. While I'm grateful to be included today, because indigenous people have been structurally excluded from participating in processes like this, I do not bring good news. Our communities have been ringing alarm bells for decades about the devastating health and environmental impacts of industrial development, which have been largely ignored by decision-makers.