Roy Fox, Chief of the Kanai-Blood Tribe in Alberta says that the current struggles of Canada’s oil and natural gas industry has negatively impacted his community and other Indigenous communities that depend on resource development for jobs and revenues. He notes that he and other Treaty 7 Indigenous leaders are very concerned about Bill C-69—the federal government’s proposed changes to how major energy infrastructure projects are approved. Chief Fox believes that the bill currently before Canada’s senate could further diminish the competitiveness of Canada’s oil and natural gas industry.
Video transcript:
My traditional name is Makiinima. I’m Roy Fox, chief of the Blood Tribe. We are involved on the business side of the energy sector. We own some of the properties, the assets, and we share partnership arrangements with Tamarack [Valley Energy].
How the existing situation in Canada as it pertains to our industry, how that is affected, it has almost dwindled the royalty that we receive by at least – we’re down to 30% of what we ought to be getting. And with the introduction of Bill C-69, we see it as going even lower than that.
The majority of the Treaty 7 tribes – the leadership – are against Bill C-69 because it’s going to affect us on the return that we are receiving. We will have less to offer our people, those that rely on us through programs, through the other benefits that accrue to them.
I think there has to be a serious attempt by the federal government to try and induce additional exploration and production activity. When that occurs, you know, that’ll certainly be of benefit not just to us but other Indigenous people.
I think how the federal government can assist industry in general, including Indigenous business people, including Indigenous royalty receivers is to hopefully counter-attack the pressures that have been put in place, the obstacles that have been put in place on developing oil and natural gas in Canada. Unfortunately, our friends south of the border, they are receiving good, honest returns from their resources. We’re not.
