http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=843095
Facing 22 mining projects in advanced stages of project development and
no resolution of their outstanding title claims, we could very well see
the next KI when a BC First Nation says no.
The lesson of environmental campaigning is that market pressure and
economic uncertainty are the only things government really listens to.
European publishers saying no to rainforest paper. Victoria's Secret
saying no to boreal old growth. Tiffany's saying no to dirty diamonds
and gold.
Government can weather some bad public relations but they can't ignore
business.
The Mongolian government said no to mining promoter Robert Friedland
and leveraged some serious equity and revenue sharing in his copper
gold project.
Mongolia's no has resulted in visits from President George W. Bush,
then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, and senior envoys from
China and Russia.
Imagine a world of common cause where every First Nation said: No,
your project( mining, forestry, oil and gas, pipeline, port, hydro) is
not going ahead until we have reconciliation.
Call it a general strike on negotiating resource development agreements.
What have First Nations got to lose? Governments are not delivering on
housing, education, health care.... Can they make First Nations any
poorer?
Just say no. Another world is possible.
