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NRBS - HomeTable of Contents |
Northern River Basins Study Final Report
5.0 First Nations/Métis Recommendations
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Recommendations Water Policies and Programs Cooperative Water Management Agreements Basin Ecosystem Management Approach Integration of Traditional Knowledge Human Health |
The Northern River Basins Study represents an innovative advance in the way the voice of First Nations / Métis people living in the Study area was sought and incorporated into the Study results. The importance of traditional knowledge as a valid and credible basis for drawing conclusions about the state of the river basins is dealt with elsewhere in the Board's report. The methods used to incorporate First Nations / Métis people in the post-Study strategies and their continued involvement received considerable Board attention as well as attention from the Science Advisory Committee of the Study.
To address issues from the First Nations / Métis perspective, the Board established a First Nations Committee. The Committee used First Nations processes to formulate several strategic recommendations which it proposed to the Board. Underlying these recommendations is a recognition that effective involvement of First Nations / Métis peoples calls for a somewhat different approach than involvement of the rest of the general public. Rather than step forward as individuals, First Nations / Métis people prefer to be involved in formal process (e.g., guidance and conduct of this Study, formal follow-up mechanisms that may result from this Study) through First Nations / Métis governments. Thus, the strategic recommendations formulated in good faith by the First Nations Committee must be endorsed by the First Nations / Métis governments through their formal governmental instruments. The collective responsibility of the First Nations / Métis governments takes precedence over individual representation.
The First Nations Committee of the Study Board believes that only by establishing permanent vehicles to provide input on water policies and programs will the opinions and experiences of the people most directly affected gain the influence they deserve. The Northern River Basins Study First Nations Committee, in consultation with First Nations and Métis Leadership, recommends that:
| 1. |
Governments establish a Committee, that will involve
communities and other stakeholders, to consult, advise and implement resulting
programs and projects which are the outcome of the recommendations from the
Northern River Basins Study, so that the interests and rights of the
First Nations / Métis are safeguarded and protected. |
A specific proposal for the creation of a Regional River Basin Committee can be found in Attachment #1. The First Nations Committee of the Northern River Basins Study believes that specific policy instruments are available to the governments to establish this type of committee. For example, Part 1 of the Canada Water Act, is available to Environment Canada to establish a Regional River Basin Committee for the purpose of consultation, advice, coordination and implementation of water policies and programs, which also could be used to protect and safeguard First Nations / Métis interest and rights. The responsibility of the Government of Canada can be used from various Acts and laws to protect First Nations / Métis communities.
First Nations / Métis peoples comprise a significant portion of the total population of the Northern River Basins. As the major population, First Nations / Métis people prefer that any activity which affects their communities, be addressed by their own governing structures. Water management agreements are a good example of these activities. A water management plan will impact on the communities both collectively and individually. The Northern River Basin Study First Nations Committee, in consultation with First Nations and Métis Leadership, recommends that:
| 2. |
The governments develop a government to government relationship
with First Nations / Métis governments concerning implementation of
Northern River Basins Strategies and Recommendations. |
The First Nations Committee of the Study Board believe that Alberta Environmental Protection could propose a change to the Draft "Alberta Water Act". This amendment would facilitate the development of a government to government relationship for cooperative water management. The proposed amendment would deal with the definition of other levels of government . A suggested change of text would include First Nations / Métis governments.
The Northern River Basins Study, through its reports and recommendations, strongly recommends that a comprehensive ecosystem management approach be taken in any future planning or management of the Northern River Basins. The agreement for an ecosystem management approach needs to reflect regional approaches in their implementation and their scope of control. Regional representation would provide a means to more effectively address local issues and involve local participation within their specific regions; however, these regional authorities would work in conjunction with the Basinwide approach. The Northern River Basins Study First Nations Committee, in consultation with First Nations and Métis Leadership, recommends that:
| 3. |
An ecosystem management approach be used which includes
all aspects of the watershed management and encompasses the commitment of
First Nations / Métis people to the ecosystem approach. |
The First Nations Committee of the Study Board believes that regional and local knowledge of the system can be effectively used by the Basinwide approach. Individual sub-basins, reaches or localities could be represented as principles of the Basinwide agreements. These principles could independently research and investigate their communities needs, while coordinating their activities with the larger approach. The Little Red River Cree Nation, Tall-Cree First Nation and Government of Alberta Agreement could be utilized as a demonstration of a principles approach to ecosystem management.
The First Nations Committee of the Study Board would also like to emphasize that an ecosystem approach is necessarily holistic in scope. It is inevitably more complex than dealing only with aquatic and riparian elements of the ecosystem. Whatever occurs on lands, in forests and in the air over the basin will have direct consequences for the Northern River Basins. Only through addressing all elements of the ecosystem will we be able to understand and manage the system. The Northern River Basins Study, while an excellent effort, is only the start of a much larger process. The First Nations / Métis people are ready, willing and able to assist with this effort.
Traditional Knowledge has proven to be an important and vital component of the Study, which compliments modern science. Scientists and people involved with the Northern River Basins Study have discovered that traditional knowledge can be effectively used to enhance scientific investigation by adding both knowledge and values. Traditional knowledge was used to design scientific research programs and projects, for example: The Geographic Information Systems Program, and Fish Sampling Sites for the Fisheries projects. Traditional knowledge offered the only information and data on the conditions of the Basins before modern records were kept. The traditional knowledge of the people of the Northern River Basins have proven to be important at all levels of decision making. The Northern River Basins Study First Nations Committee, in consultation with First Nations and Métis Leadership, recommends that:
| 4. |
Any future research programs developed or endorsed by
the governments or research organizations be encouraged to focus on the integration
of scientific and traditional knowledge within a First Nations / Métis research
protocols. |
The recognition of the value of traditional knowledge is not enough in and of itself. As a means of ensuring that traditional knowledge plays an effective role, First Nations / Métis communities must also have the capability to carry out research which interests their respective communities. This research will enhance each community's knowledge base, and provide a method to teach traditional knowledge as well as provide an educational venue in the community. The Northern River Basin Study First Nations Committee, in consultation with First Nations and Métis Leadership, recommends that:
| 5. |
The Northern River research strategies endeavour to enable
First Nations/ Métis communities and governments to initiate and carry out
scientific research which answers First Nations / Métis environmental questions
about the Northern River Basins. |
As a result of the traditional knowledge obtained by the Northern River Basins Study Traditional Knowledge Component in 10 communities in the northern river basins, community health has been identified as a major concern of all these communities. The concerns expressed by First Nations / Métis peoples are of an holistic nature encompassing such matters as the effect of environmental change on the physical, spiritual, and socio-cultural health of their communities and the individuals living in the Basins.
The research conducted in the Traditional Knowledge Component of the Northern River Basins Study assisted greatly in identifying some of the basic issues related to this important area, but a great deal more research needs to be done to refine our understanding of these issues and develop the actions necessary to remedy problems when they are identified. The Northern River Basins Study First Nations Committee, in consultation with First Nations and Métis Leadership, recommends that:
| 6. |
Governments commit to a cooperative and participatory
thrust of future research in the northern river basins focusing on human health
and its link to environmental contaminants or ecological change, and the cause
and effect relationship of environmental contaminants or ecological change
to the health of the communities and peoples involved; particular effort should
be placed on the quality of water within the region encompassed by the Northern
River Basins Study boundaries. |
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