The Canadian Energy Centre [CEC] announced Tuesday National Coalition of Chiefs president Dale Swampy will be lending his voice to a New York City billboard campaign this month, hoping to raise awareness about how the energy industry helps indigenous communities in Canada. .“Partnerships with Canada’s energy sector offer an incredible opportunity to pull our next generation out of poverty,” said Swampy in a CEC press release. .“These partnerships advance the path of reconciliation.”.Swampy said he hopes his message during New York City's Climate Week will inform people about the relationship many indigenous communities have with Canada’s oil and gas and clean tech industries. This campaign will cover economic and environmental partnerships promoting reconciliation. .He said it's important people understand the oil and gas industry is “taking its commitment to tackle climate change seriously and that the inherent relationship our people have with the environment is helping projects to be developed more responsibly.” . War room launches NYC billboards on energy featuring indigenous leaderOpening economic opportunity to Canada's indigenous people makes sense for everybody. .The release said more indigenous communities and businesses are entering into partnerships on major pipeline and energy infrastructure projects. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers said oil sands producers spent $15 billion with indigenous businesses since 2012, reaching a record of $2.4 billion in 2019. .“Yet unfortunately there are some coordinated groups who are preying on the desperation of some of our people to turn world opinion against Canada’s oil and gas industry,” said Swampy. .The release went on to say the coordinated groups led to indigenous communities losing out as governments caved to environmental extremists and denied projects such as the Keystone XL and Northern Gateway pipelines. It added the projects would have brought hundreds of millions of dollars in economic growth to these communities. .The billboard campaign will cost $65,000 and is sponsored by the CEC, also known as Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's war room. It will feature Swampy and the message “Indigenous partnerships with oil and gas advance the path of reconciliation.”.It will run from Tuesday to Sunday on three large outdoor electronic billboards in high-traffic New York City locations in Times Center, targeting Climate Week speakers, delegates, and journalists. .CEC President and CEO Tom Olsen said Swampy has been an integral voice for indigenous involvement in the energy industry. .“Dale has been a courageous voice for many years now on the important role First Nations leaders, businesses, and monitors can play in supporting stronger and more sustainable projects,” said Olsen. .“It’s time the world gained that understanding too.”.This initiative comes after the Indigenous Resource Network (IRN) unveiled a campaign to advocate for indigenous ownership in natural resources projects on August 9. .READ MORE: Canadian indigenous organization launches resource development awareness campaign.“The problems our communities are facing is that there are few mechanisms to access the necessary capital for investing in projects and having equity” said IRN Executive Director Robert Merasty. .“Having a National Indigenous Guaranteed Loan Program is a step the federal government can take that will help First Nations get the capital needed to become partners and owners of the projects on our own lands.”
