Thank you, Madam Chair.
We are still at the early stages and have not made a decision about whether the nation would support an energy project, but we believe the provisions of our treaty can be employed to consider an environmentally sound approach to such a project.
Needless to say, the Nisga'a Nation will never support a project that could result in devastation to our land, our food, and our way of life. However, we cannot support legislation as sweeping as the proposed moratorium that will have the effect of cutting our nation off at the knees from being able to implement our treaty to achieve that balance, to achieve sustainability, for which we have a treaty.
We cannot stand back and allow legislation to be passed without meaningful input from the only indigenous nation with a treaty in the moratorium area and which has much to lose. We cannot agree to our treaty partners slamming the economic development door shut on us and other first nations on the north coast, while preserving opportunities for our neighbours to the south, north, and east. Why should we be singled out for such unfair treatment?
We should not have to continue to see our way of life eroded and our children and grandchildren denied a chance for economic prosperity without being given an opportunity to determine whether, under the rigorous requirements of our treaty, the correct balance can be struck between building a strong economy and protecting sensitive ecosystems.
We urge you to defer your next steps on this legislation until appropriate consultation is undertaken with us and our first nation neighbours to see if we can strike that balance.
Thank you, Madam Chair.