Indigenous leaders advocating for First Nations oil and gas producers are urging the Alberta government to adopt the Allan Inquiry report’s recommendations that would support First Nations energy development in the face of anti-oilsands campaigns.
Stephen Buffalo is president and CEO of the Indian Resource Council (IRC), which represents more than 155 oil- and gas-producing First Nations across Canada. In a press release issued on Dec. 6, the IRC urged Alberta Premier Jason Kenney to adopt Commissioner Steve Allan’s recommendations in the provincial legislature, including Allan’s advice to use “elders wisdom panels” in constructive intermediation for resource development.
“It’s an important report just for the fact that it identifies that there is some interference, we’ll call it, with these organizations funding an attack on our natural resources. And it does have some economic impacts. First Nations are at the cusp of doing business—we’re partners, we’re equity owners with industry—so this hurts those nations that have these partnerships in place,” Buffalo told The Epoch Times.
“We want to protect the Earth, but at the same time we can’t continue down this road: [our oil and gas] being landlocked and our partnerships not thriving as they should.”
Allan was appointed as commissioner in July 2019 to lead the public inquiry into foreign-funded campaigns targeting Alberta’s energy industry. The Allan Inquiry, launched by Kenney’s government, released its final report in October this year.
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