Upriver Environment Watch is one of more than two dozen New Brunswick community organizations who signed the

following letter. It states our common concerns about the content of the Omnibus Bill C-45, recently rammed through federal parliament. This Bill is devastating in how it guts environmental protections from oil, gas, and other extreme resource extraction industries. Bill C-45 also clearly violates international treaties and indigenous inherent rights. Please take a moment to read through this extraordinary demonstration of NBers unity on these issues.
January 03, 2013 The Right Honourable Stephen Harper Office of the Prime Minister 80 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2 Email: Stephen.harper@parl.gc.ca; Fax: 613-941-6900 Dear We are a diverse group of community committees and organizations representing many thousands of New Brunswickers who are actively concerned about the quality of their environment. We are writing you today to express our alarm concerning the direction that you have taken Canada with respect to recent legislation impacting our Aboriginal brothers and sisters. Bill C-45 has become the latest focus of Aboriginal discontent. The Idle No More protests sweeping our nation and the Chief Theresa Spence hunger strike attest to the level of anger and frustration felt not only by First Nations people but by many other Canadians as well. We agree with our Aboriginal brothers and sisters that much of the legislation in Bill C-45 will repress Aboriginal rights, remove environmental protections and thereby facilitate the irresponsible exploitation of Canadas natural resources. We would argue that the Bill C-45 legislative process lacked the required meaningful consultations with indigenous peoples on issues that concern them as supported by the Supreme Court of Canada. We would also argue that the process circumvented Article 19 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which Canada has endorsed and which provides that: States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with indigenous peoples concerned through their own representative institutions in order to obtain their free, prior and page 1 of 4 pages

informed consent before adopting and implementing legislation or administrative measures that may affect them. We sincerely hope that your government will endeavour to make new attempts at meaningful consultation and new attempts to cooperate in good faith with our Aboriginal population. Given the grave circumstances and great potential for irreparable harm to First Nations people and their way of life as a consequence of this legislation, we request that you consult with First Nations leadership, including traditional leadership, and rescind those objectionable policies that will be enacted by Bill C-45. We also strongly urge you meet with Chief Theresa Spence and all Aboriginal leadership and embark on a policy of inclusion, reconciliation and renewal of our First Nations communities. Otherwise we strongly believe that we will have missed a very important opportunity to address past injustices and abuses and failed to ensure the healthy physical and spiritual environments that our First Nations people require to survive and thrive peacefully in Canada.

Citizens Coalition for Clean Air Concerned Citizens of Penobsquis Conservation Council of New Brunswick Corn Hill and Area Residents Association Council of Canadians Fredericton Chapter Council of Canadians Saint John Chapter Friends of Mount Carleton Hampton Water First Harvey Environmental Action Team Memramcook Action New Brunswickers Against Fracking Parents Against Everyday Poisions Taymouth Community Association Tantramar Alliance Against Hydrofracking Notre Environnement, Notre Choix Upriver Environment Watch Upper Miramichi Stewardship Alliance Darlings Island Fracking Intervention Naguwigewauk Friends of UNB Woodlot Penniac Anti-Shale-Gas Organization Quality of Life Initiative Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance Stanley Area Action Group Sustainable Energy Group Sierra Club Atlantic Maliseet Grand Council Water and Environmental Protection for Albert County

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Copied to: Chief Theresa Spence Attawapiskat First Nation Attawapiskat ON P0L 1A0 (705) 997-1101 Fax: (705) 997-2116 Media release: clmaloney@eastlink.ca Chief Shawn Atleo National Chief Assembly of First Nations Trebla Building 473 Albert Street Ottawa, ON K1R 5B4 Tel: (613) 241-6789 Fax: (613) 241-5806 denise_mcdonald@hotmail.com His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnson Governor General of Canada Rideau Hall 1 Sussex Drive Ottawa, ON K1A 0A1 E-mail: info@gg.ca Fax: 613-998-8760 The Honourable John Duncan Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada Terrasses de la Chaudire 10 Wellington, North Tower Gatineau, Quebec Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H4 Email: InfoPubs@aadnc-aandc.gc.ca Fax: 1-866-817-3977 The Honourable Robert Douglas Nicholson Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada House of Commons Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 Email: mcu@justice.gc.ca The Honourable Thomas J. Mulcair Leader of the Official Opposition House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario, 1A 0A6 Telephone: 613-995-7224 Fax: 613-995-4565 E-Mail: thomas.mulcair@parl.gc.ca

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The Honourable Bob Rae House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6 Email: bob.rae@parl.gc.ca Ms. Elizabeth May House of Commons 518 Confederation Building Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 Phone: 613-996-1119 Fax: 613-996-0850 E-mail: elizabeth.may@parl.gc.ca Professor James Anaya Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples C/o OHCHR-UNOG Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais Wilson 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Fax: +41 22 917 90 06 Email: indigenous@ohchr.org

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