EXTENSION OF MILITARY FLIGHT TRAINING MAKES MOCKERY OF
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS, VIOLATES INNU RIGHTS
SHESHATSHIU, LABRADOR -- The Innu Nation is dismayed by the
announcement that the bilateral agreement will be extended with
the Federal Republic of Germany that allows German Air Force
flight training in eastern Quebec and Labrador. Innu Nation
Director of Innu Rights and Environment, Daniel Ashini, said "the
Department of National Defence and the Germans are mocking the
environmental assessment process by signing the agreement while
the review is still far from complete. The Innu Nation does not accept
this extension. We will do everything to frustrate this military intrusion
on our land, we will begin with renewed energy our active non-violent
campaign against military flight training, we will consider reactivating
our court case against Canada. We will once again seek the support
from people across Canada and in other countries to our
non-violent struggle."
Mr. Ashini noted, "We are still in the midst of a federal Environmental
Assessment Review Process, and the Department of National Defence
has not even completed its revised Environmental Impact Statement.
And yet, the federal government has gone ahead and renewed the
agreement with the Germans to allow continued flight training. These
actions are making a total mockery of the environmental review
process in Canada, and violating the rights of the Innu."
The National Defence New Release, dated December 10, which only
came to the Innu Nation's attention this morning, recognizes that
"the flying activity in Goose Bay is currently the subject of the
Federal Environmental Assessment and Review Process, which
should be completed in early 1994."
The agreement which is being replaced did not expire until 1996.
"This is a clear demonstration of bad faith by both Canada and
Germany. There was no reason to sign before the Environmental
Assessment Review Process was complete, since they still had three
years left before the current agreement between Canada and Germany
expired. It's an outrageous manoeuvre to get around the
environmental review," said Ashini.
"I would like to point out" said Mr. Ashini, "that military flight training
commenced in our airspace, a bombing range and tactic targets were
constructed, without public hearings and without an environmental
assessment. Moreover, a number of groups, including the Canadian
Wildlife Service, Newfoundland Wildlife Division, Conseil Attikamek
Montagnais, Labrador Inuit Association, Schefferville Naskapi Band
Council and the Innu Nation have expressed serious concerns about
the environmental impacts of the flight training. In reply to these
concerns, DND has set up an avoidance programme, but this
programme is not working, and the Allied air forces have said
that they cannot live with even the limited restrictions that
DND has set out to protect wildlife from negative impacts."
"We have not even yet reached the hearing stage of the environmental
assessment of the training and we have a flawed avoidance programme.
And yet, an extension to the agreement with the Germans has been
made. Perhaps people will begin to understand a little better why
the Innu are opposed to the training when they are confronted with
this evidence of unilateral and environmentally irresponsible actions
taken by DND and its Allies. The history of flight training in Goose Bay
has been one unilateral decision after another with little if any
regard to the environment or to the Innu people whose land it is,"
said Mr. Ashini.
Mr. Ashini called on the Department of National Defence to immediately
release the exchange of notes renewing the German training at Goose
Bay. "This new agreement must be opened up to public scrutiny. We
need to know why this agreement went ahead, whether they are
going to continue to protest against the development of suitable
avoidance criteria to protect wildlife, we need to know, if the
environmental review recommends against continued flight
training, whether the agreement will require the flight training to
stop. We need to know how much money the Germans are going
to contribute to environmental studies in the next ten years, we
need answers to all these questions."
In December 1991, commanders of the German, Dutch and British
air forces training at Goose Bay said that if the Canadian military
did not stop imposing wildlife and human avoidance restrictions
on the training, they would have to conduct their training elsewhere.
Since 1986, Allied flight training at CFB Goose Bay has occurred under
a Multinational Memorandum of Understanding which was to
expire in 1996. This agreement permitted flight training by the
Royal Air Force, German Air Force, and Royal Netherlands Air Force.
Low-level flight training is conducted in two training areas, north
and south of Goose Bay. 50% of these areas are in Quebec. Innu from
the communities of La Romaine, Natashquan, Schefferville,
Kawawachikamach, Sheshatshit and Davis Inlet are affected by
the training.
The Innu Nation still has an outstanding appeal of a court case against
Canada for proceeding with military training before the environmental
assessment approval was received. The Innu Nation Board will
be discussing tomorrow reactivating this appeal, given that there is
now additional evidence that Canada is mocking its own
environmental assessment process.
For more information, contact Daniel Ashini, Director of Innu
Rights and Environment at (709) 497-8398. The Innu Nation
has a complete media backgrounder available on request,
including a chronology of events, and evidence of harm to
wildlife by military flight training.