I believe that natives and people in areas that have been deemed profitable have been treated unfairly generally and in the story of the otters told in class. My vision for the future to be fairer is that it is the law that the parties involved with developmental or economical projects are actually consulted and heard from regarding activities in the area. I envision where it is the law that a percentage of the profits generated are shared with the communities as opposed to a few hands or corporations who do not live in the area for economic projects. I envision a future where the negative externalities of losing cultural practices, foods etc are actually factored into decision-making and are considered seriously. One way to accomplish this would be to require approvals from local first nations or locals for projects and or provide agreed-upon transfer payments as compensation for use of lands as well as some optional opportunities to learn new skills, acquire education or opportunities to pursue careers if local industries are destroyed by larger corporations.
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Hi Bhavin, you brought up a really good point about how the percentage of profits generated should be shared with communities, it would be such a simple and effective solution! Having concrete laws for compensation would enforce rightful reparations to indigenous communities :)
Hi Bhavin, I like your envision about enacting new law. I agree that it is very important that there is unbiasedness in government representatives to ensure everyone’s voice is heard, especially for indigenous people.
It is a great thought that making a law force the company to share the benefit with the communities.
I completely agree, but I do think that this vision will be really hard to achieve. The question is: will governments actually listen? I believe that it is going to be extremely difficult to get laws in place that allow the Indigenous people to profit and have a say in what happens. Governments tend to only do that which benefits them and them only. Even if somehow some rules are set into place, it will not take long for loopholes to be found and exploited, just as it always has in Canadian history.
I agree with you, but I think this society is full of injustice, for example, a very cruel problem, if there is not enough strength, then the group will never have a voice. Even though people are trying to get a voice for all kinds of human rights and groups, do some government departments and companies actually listen to people? The result is obviously negative, just like the fishing policy we mentioned in class, in fact, the government can intervene at any time, as long as the policy is issued and people have to implement it, it will be much more efficient than us ordinary people to do propaganda! But the problem is that many politicians and capitalist don't want to speak for indigenous people and nature, is the most important thing for their economic interests, that conflicts with the goal of us completely, I want them to understand the science and the importance of the environment, but if they really pay attention to, the pipeline would not go through. It is a pity that the society is full of injustice, but at least what we can do is to let more people have a certain awareness of the natural environment.
Hi Bhavin! Thank you for your inspiring post! I agree that a law NEEDS to be implemented regarding hearing out indigenous voices. The story of the otter in class is just 1 of the stories that have directly impacted the indigenous community. There are so many other stories that have hurt and caused suffering in this community.
Hi Bhavin, I agree that it should be made a law to consult everyone that is involved/affected in the process.
Hi Bhavin!
Totally agree with you in regards of implementing a law to ensure Indigenous voices are more heard. I really like your idea of considering compensation as even if agreements are made, there are bound to be some detrimental effects to the change implemented. I also like that you mentioned compensations outside of monetary values by mentioning opportunities that can be offered!
Hi Bhavin, your post really resonates with me as I have asked the same questions while watching our class pre-reading "There's Something in the Water". I found it frustrating how there was no law or standard for consulting with the communities with transparency about what the changes they made to the nearby lands and water bodies may affect their community. I also hope for a future where more laws and policies are put into place regarding this.
I agree with you on there being a need for consultation before projects begin.
Hello Bhavin! I agree with a lot of points you have made in this post. It is true that changes in law regarding environmental issues need to be made for these underrepresented communities to be heard.