Eriel Tchekwie Deranger, a member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN), discusses the impacts of oil sands on her community’s lands and the need for moratoriums to stop oil sands expansion. The ACFN has faced public criticism due to their opposition to oil sand expansion because of the economic benefits the industry provides to First Nations communities. Deranger notes these positive aspects, yet emphasizes the harm oil sands leave on the surrounding environment and communities, as well as the damage caused to treaty agreements and Indigenous rights within Canada. Furthermore, insufficient industry regulation has led to a failure in environmental protection and Indigenous rights while the expansion of oil sands into important ecological regions continues in Northern Alberta. Deranger also highlights the importance of including Indigenous perspectives on protecting the earth and the sacred for the preservation of the future. In 2012, the ACFN called for a moratorium on the development of the Firebag River, Alberta, knowing the potential impacts it could have on their relationships to the oil sands industry. Yet, the ACFN hopes it will create a new pathway forward for respecting lands and waterways, as well as Indigenous rights as promised through treaties within Canada and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Photo Credit: David Levene
