She’s also the executive director of Indigenous Climate Action, an advocacy group focused on the water, air, and health impacts of the oilsands on First Nations communities.
Deranger describes the relationship between Indigenous communities and the oilsands industry as an “economic hostage situation,” explaining that many communities see the negative impacts of oilsands development but don’t speak up because there are no other economic opportunities to be had.
“It’s really important that we don’t get bogged down in the argument of, ‘Well, if Indigenous peoples are business partners in pushing these projects forward, then they must be OK,’” Deranger said.
“The problem is that this industry has such a stranglehold economically. But we cannot continue to say we need this for our economy, because there will be no economy if our province burns down this summer because of wildfires due to climate change.”
A double-edged sword
Oilsands development has been a double-edged sword for Indigenous communities in the past, said Justin Bourque, the former CEO of the Willow Lake Métis Nation and president of Fort McMurray-based Âsokan Generational Developments, a consulting firm specializing in Indigenous-industry partnerships.
“Philosophically, the resource has been extracted from the traditional territories of the Indigenous peoples in the area. They have lived and endured the development, both environmentally and physically and as well with the growth of Fort McMurray,” Bourque said.
But as he looks to the future, Bourque sees growing opportunities for First Nations to participate in the oil and gas sector as equity ownership models become more common, allowing communities to benefit from long-term, predictable sources of revenue.
“I think now with reconciliation and certain ESG factors, corporations are now thinking more openly about sharing a long-term relationship with Indigenous communities when and where they operate,” Bourque said.
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