Canadian Indigenous Tar Sands

The Canadian Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign (CITSC), based in Ottawa, Canada is an emerging Native-based campaign implemented through the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) as part of its Native Energy and Climate Program.

The campaign goal is to seek 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 we don't have land and we don't have anywhere to carry out our traditional lifestyles, we lose who we are as a people. So, if there's no land, then its equivalent in our estimation to genocide of a people." George Poitras, Mikisew Cree First Nation

It is the position of this campaign that since this tar sand expansion in northern Alberta is within First Nations traditional territories, any effective strategy must acknowledge aboriginal title and treaty rights. This is a core focus of this CITSC project that in our opinion must be supported and addressed in any tar sands intervention. The application of aboriginal and treaty rights as a legal strategy implemented by the First Nations themselves is a key focus of this campaign. First Nations and Metis communities must speak for themselves

As noted by the 1996 Canadian federal Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, Aboriginal peoples in Canada are being, "pushed....to economic, cultural and political extinction."