On Monday, Premiere Jason Kenney announced $372,000 will be given to the Fort McKay Métis Nation and Willow Lake Métis Nation in an effort to combat Bill C-48.

The bill enacts the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act:

• The Act prohibits loading at ports or marine installations located along British Columbia’s north coast from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the Alaska border if it would result in an oil tanker carrying more than 12 500 metric tons of crude oil or persistent oil as cargo.
• The Act also prohibits vessels and persons from transporting crude oil or persistent oil between oil tankers and those ports or marine installations for the purpose of aiding the oil tanker to circumvent the prohibitions on oil tankers.
• Finally, the Act establishes an administration and enforcement regime that includes requirements to provide information and to follow directions and that provides for penalties of up to a maximum of five million dollars.

“This is Métis week and I’m very proud to acknowledge it. It’s an announcement of government backing for Willow Lake Métis Nation and Fort McKay Métis Nation as they raise their voices to defend their right to a prosperous future,” Kenney proclaimed.

The Premiere stated that the UCP set up the program with $10 million in funding to support indigenous groups and coalitions to have an equal say before the courts in the fight for market access and environmental responsible development.

“Banning the transport of Bitumen from Canadas northwest coast is very simply a prejudicial attack on Alberta and its vital economic interest. It’s the first time that the federal government has banned the export of one particular product which in this case is almost completely produced in our northeast in the Wood Buffalo region.”

This is now the second Indigenous Litigation Fund Grant, the first was provided to the Woodland Cree First Nation to fight bill C-69.