Energy and the Oil Sands: Aboriginal Perspectives Conference - Day 1 Gala

The tables were dressed, complete with beautiful red rose and white hydrangea arrangements in tall glass vases, with the chairs were covered in fabric with shimmery fabric to complete the look for the Gala at the Energy and the Oil Sands: Aboriginal Perspectives Day 1. By the time I arrived to the dinner, most were were on their main course - an Albertan steak, of course.

Adam Beach (Salteaux) was the master of ceremonies and he delighted the crowd with tales of being a rich Indian in Hollywood from attempting to put together his daughter's teepee in his (former) Hollywood Hill's home, to being at parties where Lindsay Lohan "did her thing." Beach is certainly entertaining in this Fort McMurray environment. 

The gala attendees where equally as dressed up as they made the shift from business to evening attire in as efficient of a manner as the Sawridge Inn had with their main conference room. Glitz and glam aside, there were some serious issues to discuss. 

Chief Jim Boucher (Cree) (Dene) took the stage after Hugh Campbell, VP Sustainable Development and HSE for Total EP Canada. He took the casual approach, he sat down on a stool on the stage and regaled the crowd with his story - how he grew up in the bush with seventeen siblings and how they lived off of the land. He talked about how industry came and changed the face of the land that he grew up on and how members of Fort McKay First Nation (FMFN) and himself were resistant to change and were not interested in industry at first.

The anti-fur campaigns in the eighties devastated FMFN (as it did for many Inuit, Cree, and Dene in the far north) as they no longer had a trapping economy on which to survive. Men were left without work and families needing subsistence. They had to adapt with the times. 

"If you take a look at the natural resources, that's your gift from us," Chief Jim Boucher stated which was met with an (at first resistant) applause from about a quarter of the attendees. At least it went over better than the "Got land" hoodie that 13-year-old Tenelle Star wore to her high school in SK. 

His speech was insightful for many in the crowd, who might not have been privy to the history of FMFN, and certainly eye opening for many industry attendees. Edmonton Journal did an insightful piece on FMFN and I'd suggest you take a look at the video and the post to gain greater context of the issues that surround this nation and their perspectives on the serious issues at hand.

The keynote speaker for the evening was Ken Coates, who is a widely respected historian and writer on the Canadian north who focuses on Aboriginal rights and Indigenous claims. He got right into the grit and held nothing back. He spoke directly to industry talking about treaty rights, the history of colonialism and it's impact on Aboriginal people, legal battles and the precedents that have been set using the Canadian legal system (more to come on that from Bill Gallagher, author of Resource Rulers today), and what industry needs to do to move forward in negotiations, engagement, and beyond. 

I found his keynote presentation absolutely riveting, and refreshing as he did not do a diplomatic dance around the issues, but rather faced them head on and spoke about them in a fact-based manner that only a historian with such in-depth research in the area could. His book A Global History of Indigenous Peoples looks at these complex issues in a greater way for those so inclined to dig deeper into the context of the issues that face us all in the Canadian resource industry today. Take note.

Following Coate's presentation which left the room in a quiet standstill, Beach came out to round out the evening and put his signature stamp on the evening's ebb and flow. He said he was so interested in Coate's keynote that he held off on going to the bathroom and proceeded to rush off the stage before introducing Don Amero (Metis). 

Amero entertained for the rest of the evening with his beautiful music as the gala guests mixed and mingled and chatted about all that was soaked in throughout the day. There was a distinct buzz in the air and anticipation for the panels today on treaty rights and environmental issues. I will be tweeting throughout the day on @FortMckay using the hashtag #EOSAC. Join the conversation.

Further Coverage:

#EOSAC coverage of Day 1 here
#EOSAC coverage of Day 2 here

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