On June 26th, 2014 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favour of the Tsilhqot’in First Nation for a declaration of aboriginal titles to over 1,700 square kilometres of land in British Columbia (Tsilhqot’in Nation v. British Columbia). It was a historical event whereby a court has ever made a ruling regarding aboriginal land.
Tshil’qot’s celebrating the winning of the case.
At the same time, Taseko Mines Ltd. had planed a gold and copper mining project near the fish lake of Tsilhqot’in people. Although the fish lake is not part of Tsilhqot’in’s claimed lands, they have stated that they depend on the fish lake to hunt, fish, and trap. Looking at the PEST analysis and Threat of New Entrants from Porter’s Five Forces, I understand the Supreme Court’s ruling has suddenly becomes a negative external factor affecting Taseko’s key resources. The government created a barrier to Taseko’s project whereby Taseko Mines now needs to seek permission from Tsilhqot’in people for executing the project.
Where the fish lake is versus where the mine would be.
I predict that Tsilhqot’in Nation v. British Columbia will become a precedent for future cases, and more First Nations will pursue formal land titles from the government. This will create impediments to companies and it will force reassessments of how their operations impact the environment. This new ruling will also force companies to behave ethically, to conduct their operations environmentally, and to be in good terms with the First Nations.
Source: https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/14246/index.do
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/tsilhqotin-brings-canada-to-the-table/article20521526/
http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/porter.shtml
http://pestleanalysis.com/pest-analysis/
http://newprosperityproject.ca/wp-content/themes/prosperity/images/executive-summary.pdf