First Nation Terrance Nelson: Purpose of our trip to Iran

Terrance Nelson, Roseau River Ojibwe, shares the purpose of the trip to Iran

 

Terrance Nelson

By Terrance Nelson

October 11, 2012

Censored News

http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

 

We are on our way to Tehran. One of the main purposes for me of the trip to Iran is to engage the Iranian government in helping First Nations in Canada to access OPEC nations and business people in the pursuit of justice for oil producing First Nations in Canada. The current court case in the Hague by four Nigerian villagers taking Royal Dutch Shell into international court for environmental damages is significant for any American and Canadian oil companies who have polluted First Nations in Canada. This is especially true of the Oil Sands in Alberta. As the following news story states:

THE HAGUE: Four Nigerian villagers took Royal Dutch Shell to court on Thursday in a landmark pollution case that campaigners said could open the door to more compensation claims against international companies.

The fishermen and farmers, together with the Friends of the Earth campaign group, accuse the oil major of polluting land and waterways around their homes in the Niger Delta region of Africa's top energy producer.

I am on contract with the Lubicon Lake First Nation as of August 2012. The story of the Lubicon Lake First Nation told in their own voice can be seen at it's website www.lubiconlakenation.ca/

If Royal Dutch Shell can be taken to international court, so can the American and Canadian oil companies that have illegally taken oil from the Oil Sands of Canada. Lubicon Lake Nation are the only indigenous people who have not signed treaty with the immigrants. The Alberta and Canadian federal government has consistently obstructed justice for the Lubicon Lake Nation. Other First Nations in the Treaty 8 territory have consistently tried to get Canada to settle with Lubicon Lake Nation for decades.

One of my objectives is to ask for OPEC help for the Lubicon Lake Nation. A study of the number of barrels of oil taken illegally from the Treaty 8 territory from the beginning x the compound interest is the number I want to identify to help Lubicon Lake Nation apply to OPEC for help in pursuing American and Canadian oil companies in international arenas. One of the study objectives would be to identify the companies who have illegally taken oil from the Lubicons. Filing an international action against those companies will affect the companies finances.

I am well aware that Iran cannot do business with First Nations in Canada due to the economic sanctions but that does not mean they cannot take First Nation issues to the OPEC nations that are not under sanctions. Can OPEC nations do things internationally for the Oil Sands First Nations that the Lubicon themselves cannot?

Canada could have settled with Lubicon Lake Nation long ago for a lot less than this going to cost now. I want Lubicon Lake Nation to be in a position to file against the American and Canadian oil companies once the number of barrels of oil illegally taken from their Treaty 8 territory is properly identified.

Lubicon Lake Nation is an owner of the Oil Sands of Treaty 8. They live in extreme poverty yet they own trillions of dollars of oil, gold and timber in their territory. IF I can get OPEC help for the Lubicon Lake Nation, this trip will be successful.

I would hope that the American and Canadian oil companies put pressure on the Canadian government to settle this issue domestically. The Lubicons have signalled that they have been willing to settle but the Federal and Alberta governments have not only ignored them, they have consistently obstructed the Lubicons from getting justice.

Remember that Canada sends 2.5 million barrels of oil a day to the United States and has done so for years. They have done so illegally because the indigenous people of Lubicon Lake Nation have never granted the immigrants permission to take their oil or other resources. Canada has never paid the indigenous people for the oil. Even when oil was $147 a barrel in 2008, Canada didn't offer the indigenous people even a dime per barrel in payment. Americans have paid for the oil, they paid the Canadians but Canada has not paid, they just steal the oil.

Terrance Nelson

In 1975, former Chief Walter Whitehead attempted to file a caveat with the Alberta Lands Registration Office to protect the Lubicon Lake Nation traditional territory. After this, Alberta amended the Land Titles Act retroactive to 1975 and precluded the Lubicon filing legislatively. Dawn J. Hill

Message from the Nation

Written by Admin. Posted in OUR STORY

The Lubicon Lake Nation has been engaged in a struggle with the governments of Canada and Alberta for a number of decades. During this time, we have seen attempts to take our land, attempts to undermine our authority and ongoing efforts aimed at dismantling our Nation.

Through all of this, the message we have sent is elemental and clear: we are the First Peoples in our Traditional Territory. We protect our land and territory in accordance with our customs, laws and traditions. We govern in our territory in accordance with our customs, laws and traditions. We remain sovereign. We remain self-determining.

It is important that people know that we are not defined by what we fight; we are defined by where we come from, who we are and how we live. In order to be able to fight we have consistently and constantly understood, lived in accordance with and enforced our laws. These are not easily understood, not easily ascertained and not easily interpreted if you do not live where we live and as we live as Lubicon peoples.

In order to survive, thrive, as Indigenous peoples we remain committed to those laws, customs and traditions. This is especially important now as we face a new era of administrative, political and legal machinations aimed at our peoples.

Our sovereignty is fully in tact. We continue to self-determine. We are strong, able, and determined as a Nation. We are still standing