COALITION SUPPORT April 15, 2005 Coalition Calls on Province to Deal Honourably with the Haida Nation and Communities of Haida Gwaii (Vancouver) Today, in an open letter a province-wide coalition of environmental non-governmental organisations, labour unions, and Indigenous Peoples organisations told Premier Campbell that provincial forestry law changes must be rethought if uncertainty about land use in Haida Gwaii is to be resolved. “As the Haida Tree Farm Licence 39 case was making its way to the Supreme Court of Canada, the provincial government was repealing or rewriting virtually every forest and environmental law in BC to reduce its role and place increased control in the hands of resource companies,” said Jessica Clogg, Staff Counsel at West Coast Environmental Law. “Because of its offloading to companies, the Crown now claims it has no duty to the Haida. This is not honourable.” As a result of amendments to the Forest Act the Ministry of Forests has taken the position that it has no duty to deal honourably with the Haida in relation to the anticipated transfer of Weyerhaeuser’s timber tenures to Brascan, which has sparked a series of actions by the Haida and other island residents. This flies in the face of a ruling from the Supreme Court of Canada in November 2004 that First Nations must be consulted and accommodated when tenures are transferred or replaced. “Through cutbacks and sweeping changes to forestry laws, the provincial government has essentially torn up the “social contract” in our forests, from moving the benefits of local resource development from local communities and First Nations,” said George Heyman, President, BC Government and Service Employees’ Union. “This is a recipe for community dislocation and uncertainty that can only be resolved by dealing honourably with First Nations and fundamentally rethinking recent changes to forestry and environmental laws.” The BC Coalition for Sustainable Forest Solutions advocates for local democratic control of forests within a context of sustainability and respect for Aboriginal Title and Rights. -30- For more information: Jessica Clogg, Staff Counsel, West Coast Environmental Law: 604-290-8858 www.forestsolutions.ca VIA FACSIMILE Premier Gordon Campbell Room 156 Parliament Buildings Victoria, BC V8V 1X4 April 15, 2005 Dear Hon. Gordon Campbell: Re: Support for the Haida Nation and Communities of Haida Gwaii We are environmental non-governmental organisations, labour unions, Indigenous Peoples organisations and concerned citizens who are watching closely as events on Haida Gwaii unfold. Together with the Council of the Haida Nation, as members of the BC Coalition for Sustainable Forest Solutions and allies, we have consistently voiced our concern about dramatic changes made to BC's forestry laws in recent years. These changes have turned greater control of forests over to resource companies at the expense of communities and the environment. Amendments to the Forest Act and other forestry and environmental laws have a particularly significant impact on Aboriginal Peoples, to whom the Crown owes a duty of consultation and accommodation when decisions are made about land and water. Despite clear direction from the Supreme Court of Canada that "the honour of the Crown cannot be delegated," amendment after amendment has been made to BC's laws to turn decisions over to resource companies. And despite the Supreme Court of Canada ruling last November that the Crown must consult and accommodate the Haida when tenures are replaced or transferred, by repealing s. 54 of the Forest Act (which included provisions allowing the Minister of Forests to place conditions on tenure transfers as well as the requirement for Minister of Forests' consent) your government now claims it owes no duty to the Haida in relation to the sale of Weyerhaeuser's tenure to Brascan. This is not honourable. Your conduct is not without a cost, as the present conflict in Haida Gwaii demonstrates. A different path forward is possible. The common cause forged by the Haida and other island residents against raw log exports, unsustainable resource extraction, and corporate control of resources sends a powerful message. Their vision for the long-term, sustainable future of the land and people of Haida Gwaii is inspirational. Resolving conflict and uncertainty in Haida Gwaii will require fundamental changes to the way decisions are made about land and water, and the way forests are managed, starting with rethinking recent changes to forestry and environmental laws. We urge you to do so - in collaboration with the Haida and other First Nations and communities working for a sustainable future. The BC Coalition for Sustainable Forest Solutions advocates for local democratic control of forests within a context of sustainability and respect for Aboriginal Title and Rights. Sincerely, George Heyman, President BC Government and Service Employees’ Union L.G. Embree, President British Columbia Provincial Council of Carpenters Chief Stewart Phillip, President Union of BC Indian Chiefs Nicole Schabus, International Legal Advisor Indigenous Network on Economies and Trade Jessica Clogg, Staff Counsel West Coast Environmental Law Association Will Horter, Executive Director Dogwood Initiative Freda Knott, Co-President Council of Canadians – Victoria Chapter Vicky Husband, Conservation Chair Sierra Club of Canada - BC Chapter Candace Batycki, BC Interior Program Director ForestEthics Chloe O’Loughlin, Executive Director Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society - British Columbia Chapter Devon Page, Staff Lawyer Sierra Legal Defence Fund Jim Fulton, Executive Director David Suzuki Foundation Pat Moss, Executive Director Northwest Institute for Bioregional Research Susan Hammond, Executive Director Silva Forest Foundation Jim Cooperman, President Shuswap Environmental Action Society Rob Borsato, BC Horseloggers Association Cam Brewer, Executive Director Canadian Eco-Lumber Co-op Delores Broten, Senior Policy Advisor Reach for Unbleached! Mike Romaine, Executive Director Public Service Employees for Environmental Ethics BC Watershed Stewardship Alliance Ken James, Director Youbou Timberless Society Bill Spencer Yalokom Ecological Society David Lane, Executive Director T. Buck Suzuki Foundation Ellen Zimmerman, Wildsight (formerly East Kootenay Environmental Society) Ian Gill, Executive Director, Ecotrust Canada Ingmar Lee, Canadian Reforestation and Environmental Workers BC Coalition for Sustainable Forest Solutions BC Government and Service Employees’ Union • BC Carpenters Union • BC Horseloggers Association • BC Watershed Stewardship Alliance • Blewett Conservation Society • Bonaparte Indian Band • Bulkley Valley Communities Coalition • Canadian Eco-Lumber Co-op • Canadian Parks and Wilderness - BC Chapter • Canadian Reforestation Environmental Workers Society • Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society • Council of Canadians - Vancouver & Victoria Chapters • Council of the Haida Nation •David Suzuki Foundation • Dogwood Initiative • East Kootenay Environmental Society • Ecoforestry Institute • Ecotrust Canada • Elaho Trail Society • ForestEthics • Forest Protection Allies • Fraser Headwaters Alliance • Granby Wilderness Society • Indigenous Network on Economies and Trade • International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 400 • International Network of Forests and Communities • Irving Fox, Professor Emeritus Community and Regional Planning • Kamloops People’s Voice Coalition •Kootenay Conference for Forestry Alternatives • Labour Environmental Alliance Society • Michael, M'Gonigle, POLIS, Eco-research Chair of Environmental Law and Policy, University of Victoria • Neighbours of the Little Qualicum River • Okanagan Similkameen Parks Society • Penticton Indian Band •Public Service Employees for Environmental Ethics • Pulp, Paper & Woodworkers of Canada • Reach for Unbleached • Roberts Creek Forest Resources Board • Shuswap Environmental Action Society • Sierra Club of Canada - BC Chapter• Silva Forest Foundation • Skwelkwek'welt Protection Centre • Sunshine Coast Forest Watch • T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation • Union of BC Indian Chiefs • Valhalla Wilderness Society • West Coast Environmental Law Association • Yalokom Ecological Society • Youbou TimberLess Society • CEP 467