Evidence of meeting #121 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was project.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Chief Councillor, Heiltsuk Tribal Council
Chief Councillor Marilyn Slett
Our nation's position on pipelines goes back many years—
Conservative
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
Excuse me. I would like a yes or no answer, please, because I have other questions.
Are you currently or have you been receiving funding from environmental groups out of the United States?
Chief Councillor, Heiltsuk Tribal Council
Chief Councillor Marilyn Slett
We work with the Alliance of Coastal First Nations.
Conservative
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
Answer yes or no to my question, please, because if you don't answer it now, I will take it as a yes.
President, Council of the Haida Nation
No, we have not received money for those purposes.
Conservative
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
Thank you.
Calvin, I would like to ask you a couple of questions. I'm going to address you as Calvin to differentiate you from John.
I would like you to talk a bit more about the funding that we consistently hear about that's coming to first nations in our country out of the United States. You touched on it briefly. I would like you to actually expand on it a little here today.
Chairman and President, Eagle Spirit Energy Holding Ltd.
Most of this work has been done by a lady out of Vancouver named Vivian Krause. Basically, the only way she was able to get the information was to go into the tax returns of the various organizations, so her information is pretty accurate.
The way the whole system works is there's the Consultative Group on Biological Diversity which was originally set up by the U.S. state department to actually meet the aims of the state department. It's managed by USAID, another arm of government. It takes 70 and maybe 100 large foundations under one umbrella organization, and the purpose is supposed to foster biological diversity, which is a really good goal for any organization. In actual fact, it gives away $3 billion a year.
According to Vivian, about $600 million has come into Canada. The way it comes into Canada is it comes to environmental groups and NGOs and is distributed from there.
November 20th, 2018 / 10:40 a.m.
Conservative
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
The fact that particular first nations groups are not receiving direct funding from the United States doesn't mean to say there isn't funding happening that is diverted through Canadian environmental groups and going to first nations. Is that correct?
Chairman and President, Eagle Spirit Energy Holding Ltd.
There's no question about it. There are a variety of organizations that have to make declarations on their income tax returns.
Conservative
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
What does that do for job creation for first nations? Obviously, some people benefit from it significantly when these funds are going to first nations. Does it do anything to create jobs for first nations who you say could have as high as a 90% unemployment rate, which may soon be the unemployment rate in Alberta if we continue to have this Liberal government?
Chairman and President, Eagle Spirit Energy Holding Ltd.
What you continually hear from environmentalists is that we should have a green economy, but first nations are asking, where is it? There's virtually no business from that. There is some tourism, and there are some other things. That's a good goal to aspire to, but it's not helping people in the communities.
Conservative
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
I have one more quick question. You touched on it briefly, and I'd like you to expand on it.
Mr. Aubin represents an area that's very close to the St. Lawrence Seaway. Do you know of any reason why this particular government would think that the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the east coast, is any less pristine than the west coast?
Chairman and President, Eagle Spirit Energy Holding Ltd.
I have no reason to think that. The Salish Sea is being considered as a World Heritage Site, and yet this government is proposing to ship bitumen out of that place, which is considered on the exhaustive federal government study that was referred to by John. That had a risk profile, because of some 27 to 28 navigation impediments; whereas the best place on the coast, according to this exhaustive federal government study to ship oil out of was Stumon Bay where Grassy Point is located in the north.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you very much to our witnesses for joining us today. It was very informative.
The meeting is adjourned.