SUBMISSIONS OF THE ATHABASCA CHIPEWYAN FIRST NATION ...

Page 8 April 28, 2009
federal government can start with ensuring that some of our process-related
concerns are taken into account in EAs.
While we cannot undo development, we seek a fair and balanced process for the
protection of our section 35 rights. Such fairness and balance is sorely lacking in
EAs because the focus is never on determining what information and conditions
are necessary for the protection of our section 35 rights.
The recommendations that we have made would go a small part of the way
toward ensuring such fairness and balance. There is no legal impediment to doing
this. What is required is a change in the behaviour of the federal government to
make us “insiders” in federal environmental assessments.
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