‘You want my consent? You improve my people’s health,’ First Nations chief near oilsands tells Carney – The Narwhal

July 23, 2025

Chiefs call federal summit with First Nations for fast-tracking law ‘disrespectful,’ hastily planned

The chief of a First Nation downstream of the Alberta oilsands wants Canada to address the toxic contaminants in his waters and take seriously his community’s concerns about cancer rates before he’ll consent to new fast-tracked fossil fuel projects.

Mikisew Cree First Nation Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro said he delivered this message personally to Prime Minister Mark Carney during a summit with First Nations in Canada’s capital region last week.

“I’m 48 years old. I lived in the bush off the land when I was a kid. I remember drinking water from the rivers and the lakes. There’s no way we do that shit nowadays,” Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro told The Narwhal in an interview in Ottawa.

Read More: https://thenarwhal.ca/bill-c-5-first-nations-summit/