Canada's Energy Divide and Modern Day Colonialism

While First Nations communities have been at the forefront of resistance to fossil fuels, some are being lured by fossil fuels.  Accounting for 20 percent of Canada's renewable energy Indigenous people are deeply invested in clean power. Other Indigenous leaders are moving in the opposite direction. A leader of the so called Iron Coalition is urging First Nations and Métis in Alberta to join him in signing an exclusivity agreement as part of an effort to secure ownership of the Trans Mountain pipeline.  Project Reconciliation is a similar organization that is seeking support for fossil fuels from First Nations communities in provinces from Saskatchewan to BC.

In recent history Indigenous people have been at the forefront of efforts to resist fossil fuel pipelines, but this will all change if Chief Tony Alexis gets his way. Alexis is the co-leader of a group composed of dozens of Indigenous groups who are both pro-pipeline and pro-fossil fuels. They welcome oil and gas development on native lands. 

Many Indigenous men and women work in the oil-and-gas sector and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's openness to First Nations ownership has been heard.  We are seeing partnership deals with oil and gas companies as well as outright ownership of fossil fuel concessions

For the sake of economic benefits these Indigenous people make light of the dangers pipelines pose to water and climate. However, not everyone agrees and some First Nations communities have staked their futures on green energy. This includes the Fisher River Cree Nation which recently built a new utility scale solar farm in Manitoba. This one megawatt facility is the biggest solar farm in the province. It not only generates revenue for the community, it also serves as an example to other Native communities. The seven acre farm has almost 3,000 panels and was built entirely by Indigenous employees. The solar array was built as part of a partnership agreement with the W Dusk Energy Group Inc., an Indigenous-owned clean energy firm. The project is providing jobs and teaching skills and it is expected to pay for itself in less than a decade. 

Power is central to many issues. As explained in a David Suzuki article, "Energy is inextricably linked to a range of community issues, from health to housing." At a recent four day SevenGen gathering in Calgary, 200 young Indigenous leaders learned about the opportunities in Canada’s energy transition. At this conference those in attendance talked about self reliance and the shift to renewable energy and efficiency projects.

While some claim that outside groups use Indigenous people to resist fossil fuel expansion. Others say that First Nations communities are being lured by petro-dollars and abandoning their role as protectors.

In past centuries First Nations were cruelly exploited and savagely murdered by colonial powers.  In fact the history of the Americas is stained by unconscionable efforts to assimilate, subjugate and destroy Indigenous people.

Whether they are being used to kill dirty energy or to make dirty energy projects more palatable there is a lingering connotation of colonial abuse. However, there is an important distinction. Dirty energy is at odds with traditional values while the self-sufficiency that renewable energy affords can be seen as a move towards decolonization. In this sense renewables are consistent with decentralized energy trends and First Nations' values.

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