INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS STEPPED UP TO SAVE CANADA'S BOREAL FORESTS
TAIGA RESCUE NETWORK AND INDIGENOUS REPRESENTATIVES JOIN FORCES TO STOP
DESTRUCTION OF BOREAL FORESTS
10:00am, Wednesday, 24 August, 1994 -- Edmonton, Alberta
****FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE****
Today in Edmonton the Lubicon Cree Nation announced their membership in the
Taiga Rescue Network (TRN) in order to expand international support for
their struggle to halt the destructive resource extraction taking place on
their traditional territories. TRN will be participating in the ongoing
consumer boycott of Daishowa-Marubeni International (DMI) paper products.
The move by the Lubicon was welcomed by the TRN, an international network
which campaigns around the world to expose and publicise the links between
the consumption of products from the boreal region, boreal forest
destruction, and the impacts on indigenous peoples.
Lubicon traditional territory, already under siege from the oil and gas
industry, now faces a new threat from the proposed Unocal sour gas plant.
In addition, the Lubicon continue their struggle against DMI, a
Japanese-controlled company which has been given permission to clearcut an
area of 40,000 km2 by the Alberta Government. TRN will step up pressure on
thsettle the long-standing Lubicon land claims. TRN will also target Japanese
users of paper supplied by DMI. Another key focus will be the continued
campaign against AL-PAC, one of the largest kraft pulp mills in the world.
AL-PAC and DMI have gained control over 100 000 km2 of boreal forest in
northern Alberta.
The TRN conference also heard from other indigenous nations across the
Canadian boreal forest which are involved in struggles similar to that of
the Lubicon.
The Innu Nation of Labrador faces the loss of their land called Nitassinan,
their forests, and their way of life due to continued military low-level
flying, road construction and industrial forestry which are destroying one
of the largest roadless areas on Earth. Innu participation in environmental
assessments has failed to alter the courses of the CaNewfoundland governments,
which continue to view Nitassinan as a storehouse
of resources waiting to be exploited. The Innu are determined to maintain
their way of life and to protect the land and their rights.
The Cree of Canoe Lake, Saskatchewan continue to struggle against ongoing
destruction of their traditional land. This community lost half of their
land in the 1950s when it was expropriated for the Primrose Air Weapons
Testing Range. Now, they face the destruction of the remainder through one
of the largest ongoing forestry operations in Saskatchewan. They maintained
a blockade of the logging roads for almost to voice their struggle.
The Algonquins of Barriere Lake, Quebec have made considerable progress
towards sustainable forestry within the framework of a Trilateral
Agreement (Canada-Algonquins-Quebec) signed in August 1991 whose purpose
was to develop an integrated resource management plan for forests and
wildlife over 10,000 km2 of the Algonquins community land use area.
Significant progress has been made because important studies and
inventories have been completed. However, it is apparent that the current
timeframe is insufficient to fully analyse the findings of many of the
studies or develop because of delays caused by the Quebec Government.
Consequently, there is a
need for an extension to this Trilateral Agreement.
TRN will be increasing its efforts to ensure that these issues are
meaningfully resolved within the frameworks provided and that the Canadian
Government moves to bring an end to the appalling situation facing the
people of these territories so that indigenous peoples end up with a
decisive voice over land and resource management.
The Earth's boreal forests cannot feed the industrialised world's appetite
for pulp, paper and wood products, fossil fuels, hydroelectric energy and
other raw materials. Current patterns, causes and rates of forest
destruction in the boreal region are unsustainable and must be reversed. In
particular, Canada is rapidly losing credibarena as the above scandals
demonstrate. Just as transnational corporations
know no boundaries in their relentless pursuit and exploitation of natural
resources, Taiga Rescue Network will also work worldwide to stop the
devastation.
PRESENT AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE WERE:
Colleen McCrory, Canada's Future Forest Alliance & Taiga Rescue Network,
Russell Diabo, Advisor to the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, Daniel Ashini,
Innu Nation, Bernard Ominayak, Lubicon Lake Cree Nation, Joe Iron, Canoe
Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan, Patrick Anderson, Forest Campaigns
Coordinator, Greenpeace International, Gray Jones, Director, Western Canada
Wilderness Committee in Alberta, Yoichi Kuroda, Coordinator, Japan Tropical
Forest Action Network (JATAN)