Species At Risk & The Métis Nation

MNC's Ministry of Environment

There are many challenges when it comes to managing and protecting the environment and preserving wildlife, both and plants and animal species. Our success will determine the future of our culture for generations to come. During 2005-06, the Métis National Council and its Environment Committee was extremely busy trying to do its part in partnerships with government aimed at environmental protection and conserving biological diversity.

For example, in 2005 the MNC partnered with the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) and Natural Resources Canada in launching a series of public consultations to delve into the crucial question of nuclear fuel waste management and disposal. The consultations were a continuation of work, which began in 2003. Hearings were held from Ontario-west to consider the question of what to do with growing amounts of nuclear fuel waste resulting from 22 reactors, located mostly in Ontario. The main issue explored was deep geological disposal. In other words, the impact of burying radioactive waste where it came from - Underground.

To provide NWMO with input concerning the Métis point of view, a survey questionnaire was designed and distributed across the Métis Nation Homeland. It also appeared on our website and in Aboriginal newspapers in an effort to responsibly inform as many people as possible about the circumstances surrounding nuclear waste management and obtain opinions concerning its disposal. The aim was to encourage input and feedback from elders, community leaders and other stakeholders.

The result has been the delivery of a 53 page comprehensive report by the Métis National Council Department of the Environment, which is available for viewing at the following website: http://www.nwmo.ca/default.aspx?%00

Also submitted was MNC's response to the NWMO's report "Choosing a way forward: The Future Management of Canada's Used Nuclear Fuel," a document, which outlines NWMO's suggested approach for handling nuclear fuel waste called "Adaptive Phased Management." This phased approach regarding the storage and ultimate disposal of nuclear waste is designed to allow time to research more appropriate alternatives as new technologies are developed.

Environmental issues also extend to preservation of natural resources such as plants and animals. The MNC Environment Ministry met regularly during 2005 to examine the growing issues surrounding species at risk. Currently in Canada, there are more than 465 species at risk that will disappear forever from our landscape unless something is done to slow down and reserve the trend. The inauguration last September of the National Aboriginal Committee on Species at Risk (NACOSAR) was the first step. An Aboriginal workshop was held recently in Kelowna, BC involving various government organizations. Delegates from five National Aboriginal Organizations, community leaders and other committees such as the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and the Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge (ATK) subcommittees participated. Again, a huge challenge lies ahead but the aim of the workshop was to draw us together, open the lines of communication and examine ways of informing and involving our communities about the growing crisis. Besides relying on western science, it's also important to tap into centuries of traditional knowledge resulting from being close to the land. If we hope to slow down the Degradation of Species Biodiversity, we must ensure Aboriginal involvement stems from the designation of the species considered to be at risk (through COSEWIC) to inclusion in developing mitigation and recovery plans at the regional level.

Finally, MNC's Environment Department has been active in bolstering our credibility with government departments such as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and others and has participated in both national and international conferences and workshops on Global Warming and the Convention on Biological Diversity.