VANCOUVER – Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day is calling upon Canada and Provinces to ensure that a Climate Change Accord be established where First Nations have an equal voice on matters of importance in the proposed Pan Canadian Strategy on Climate Change.
Ontario Regional Chief Statement:
“For Indigenous Peoples, climate change is a matter of life and death. We are the first ones to feel the adverse effects which impact on every single aspect of our daily life, from lack of winter roads to warmer seasons that disrupt access to fish and wildlife,” said Regional Chief Day. “While I fully support the Assembly of First Nations and the voice of our collective, we must respect the rights and authorities of our First Nations and respective treaty bodies. Nobody can speak for our regions in such critical matters – that’s the challenge with respect to the process today.”
“Canada will be spending tens of billions of dollars in order to meet the COP21 commitment of reducing greenhouse gases by 30 per cent within 15 years. We need to ensure that First Nations are not an after-thought in decisions coming from First Ministers. We must be represented at the table tomorrow. We must be full partners in a national cap and trade program aimed at reducing carbon emissions, as well as all future green energy strategies.
“All Pan-Canadian strategies must be seated on the foundation of a true Nation to Nation relationship with First Nations. I am imploring that a Climate Change Accord is needed to set in place a fair and formal relationship. Without a clear relationship, the Pan-Canadian Climate Change strategy is doomed to fail.”
“Crown-First Nations relations stand a real test of integrity on the critical issue of climate change,” concluded Regional Chief Day. “We hope that the Prime Minister and the Premiers get this right.
