A petition from the Yellowknives Dene First Nation seeking compensation for the impact of Giant Mine will be reviewed by the House of Commons after it received more than 30,000 signatures from across Canada.
The petition calls for an apology and financial compensation from the federal government for its role in permitting the former Yellowknife Giant Mine to operate within the traditional territory of YKDFN and SA国际影视传媒渢he resulting harm to the lands and people of the Yellowknives Dene.SA国际影视传媒�
The petition, which was launched three months ago, amassed a total of 32,177 signatures with contributions from every province and territory by the time it was closed on Sunday.
The next step will be to have NWT MP Michael McLeod present the signatures to the House of Commons.
Though presentation dates are not firm, YKDFN assistant CEO Lena Black confirmed the petition is expected to be certified sometime this month, potentially as early as this week. The Government of Canada then has 45 days to present an official response.
SA国际影视传媒淭hrough the petition, we hope to bring the GovernmentSA国际影视传媒檚 attention to the toxic legacy of the Giant Mine, and show that this is an issue that Canadians want to see addressed,SA国际影视传媒� Black said.
The petition, launched on Dec. 7, came days after a demonstration renewing calls for accountability at the former Mine site in Yellowknife.
The document notes SA国际影视传媒渙ngoing social, environmental and economic harm and displacement to the Yellowknives Dene,SA国际影视传媒� from the now abandoned gold mine and the 237,000 tonnes of arsenic trioxide dust left in its wake.
Black, along with Dettah Chief Edward Sangris acknowledged YKDFN member Morgan Tsetta as a major contributor to the petitionSA国际影视传媒檚 success.
Tsetta, an Indigenous filmmaker and media coordinator at the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning, said that as she continued learning about the Giant Mine, known to YKDFN as the SA国际影视传媒�,SA国际影视传媒� she wanted to use her social media platform to inform followers.
Having accumulated about 10,000 followers from her posts about life as an Indigenous filmmaker, Tsetta said she thought if she could get half of her audience to consider signing the petition SA国际影视传媒渢hat would be a huge win.SA国际影视传媒�
Now, Tsetta has over 33,000 TikTok followers and has helped YKDFN far surpass its original 500 signature goal.
SA国际影视传媒淚 knew it was an issue that would get a little attention,SA国际影视传媒� Tsetta said, acknowledging her modest platform and dedicated Indigenous following. Watching the number of signatures on the petition climb, however, SA国际影视传媒渉as been crazy.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 incredibly proud of how effective the social media campaign ended up being.SA国际影视传媒�
Having more than 32,000 signatures, she said, SA国际影视传媒渋s not something that can be ignored.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淚 want to be clear that although the petition is over, the government now has to answer to 32,000 people calling for their apology,SA国际影视传媒� she said, noting the petition as SA国际影视传媒渁 good first step.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 more interested in how the government responds to this action, especially in the long term,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
SA国际影视传媒淚 will be watching for updates and providing them to my following.SA国际影视传媒�
Meetings with the Ministers
In YKDFNSA国际影视传媒檚 push to address the Giant MineSA国际影视传媒檚 legacy, Sangris, along with Ndilo chief Ernest Betsina, met for a second time with Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett, Northern Affairs Minister Daniel Vandal and MP McLeod.
The Ministers have agreed to open a negotiating table for apology and compensation. Black called the negotiating table a top priority for the Yellowknives Dene and said the process is expected to begin in June.
Separate from the negotiations on apology and compensation, Black said the Ministers have agreed to ensure proper mental health, addictions and housing supports to account for a SA国际影视传媒渃hronic lack of resources that our community has faced, even while one of CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 richest gold mines profited on our land.SA国际影视传媒�
She said the plan is to have a Memorandum of Collaboration on socio-economic projects signed by the end of March, and to work with the federal departments on funding.
By the end of March, Black said they also plan to sign an agreement on set-aside contracts to ensure community members contribute directly to the remediation and reclamation of the land.
This will provide development and training skills to promote future prosperity, Black said. SA国际影视传媒淲e also want to ensure that we lead the long-term environmental monitoring, since the arsenic will still be in place forever.SA国际影视传媒� Once signed, the agreement will be taken to Cabinet.
As one of the most popular e-petitions of this Parliament, Black said SA国际影视传媒渢he petition was a way for our community and citizens across the country to bring attention to the issue of Giant Mine and its toxic legacy on the Yellowknives Dene.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒�(Canadians) can see that it was deeply unjust and that Canada should act now to heal past harms so that we can move forward in a good way,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淲e feel that this issue really resonated.SA国际影视传媒�
