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On the Matter of Tar Sands & Indigenous Lands

By John Ahni Schertow

In this 10 minute video, Clayton Thomas-Mueller, of the Mathais Colomb Cree Nation (Pukatawagan) in Northern Manitoba, talks about the Alberta Tar Sands industrial project, its effect on the health of indigenous communities, and the industry’s role in continuing Canada’s exploitative colonial legacy.

An activist for Indigenous Rights and Environmental Justice, Thomas-Mueller is the organizer of the Indigenous Environmental Network’s (IEN) “Canadian Indigenous TAR Sands Campaign” (CITSC), an effort that is seeking to establish a moratorium on further tar sands expansion. “The campaign is focused on building the knowledge and capacity of First Nation and Métis leadership within the tar sands impact area to actively engage in both a corporate finance campaign and in decision making processes on environment, forests, energy, climate and economic policies, related to halting the tar sand expansion. The First Nations and Métis leadership includes grassroots, elders and youth, in addition to elected First Nation Band Chiefs and Councilors.”

If you would like to learn more about the tar sands, also known as the oil sands, please visit oilsandstruth.org, tarsandswatch.org, and www.tarsandstimeout.ca.

You may also want to read the report by Environmental Defence, “The Most Destructive Project On Earth.”

  • Watch on Yahoo
  • Download a HQ version, courtesy of Citizenshift