Nowadays, the aboriginal title has been recognized by a Supreme Court of Canada, which means no exploitation on that territory without the permission of First Nation.

Recently, the project of BC Hydro, establishing dam and hydroelectric generating station on Peace River in British Columbia, was rejected by First Nation chiefs, since it will significantly effect on fishing opportunities and practices for the First Nations.

However, I do not agree with that opposition. The population of B.C. is keeping increasing, so it will need much more new energy in the future. Things cannot be both satisfied, so First Nation has to choose one which has lower opportunity cost.

In addition, I also do not think aboriginal title can bring economic benefits for First Nation. Under this situation, companies must ask permission from chiefs to do exploitation. However, chiefs are not gods, so they cannot predict the future accurately. As a result, the economy of B.C may be limited because of chiefs’ wrong decisions.

 

Reference: O’Neil, Peter.  First Nations chiefs to stage Site C showdown.  Vancouver Sun.  September 18, 2014.  Newspaper Article.http://www.vancouversun.com/news/First+Nation+chiefs+stage+Site+showdown/10215965/story.html