The politics of refusal: Aboriginal sovereignty and the Northern Gateway pipeline

摘要

This study examines the politics of Aboriginal title in British Columbia in the context of the approval process for the Northern Gateway pipeline proposal. We highlight presentations made by First Nations representatives and individuals during the Community Hearings for Oral Evidence stage of the Joint Review Panel, as well as the political actions of First Nations governments, organizations, and individuals outside the hearings. Speakers from several different nations articulated common points with regard to territory, property, and place in support of a case for sovereignty. Building from Aboriginal political theory, we argue that the evidence supports a reading of Aboriginal positions on the pipeline as a politics of refusal, the starting point of which lies within Aboriginal knowledge and governance systems, and not mere reaction to the development proposal. We hope to see more critical geographies of natural resource development incorporate Aboriginal theory into their frameworks.