Dear Editor:

At the recent United Nations Forum on Indigenous Peoples, Nobel Prize winning Mayan activist Rigoberta Menchu stated that “It is essential to integrate the wisdom and knowledge of the indigenous people in a new approach to education in a multicultural context, and in order that we don’t just reproduce the structures of colonialism and subjugation, we need a struggle against racism and discrimination.” At the same conference, Evo Morales, President of Bolivia stated, “the excessive orientation towards profit, without respect to Mother Earth nor in taking into account human needs… the continuation of this unequal system will lead to even more inequality.” He talked further about the impact climate change is having in his own country of Bolivia. These statements have significant clues on what we can do as individuals and collectively in paving the way ahead as we enter a significant window of opportunity.

We can see on the national scene that native empowerment is rising and strongly shaping resource project outcomes as a direct result of the forces unleashed whether that be in the courts, protests and action on the ground or at the political level. For example, the shale gas protest in New Brusnswick eventually lead to the failure of a premier to get re-elected and the new premier to declare a moratorium. Other Atlantic Provinces also initiated moratoriums on shale gas exploration as a direct result of that action. The ...