A representative for the Nova Scotia Assembly of Mi’kmaw Chiefs says the provincial government needs to do a better job of consultation as it seeks to develop the province’s natural resources. Chief Tamara Young, of Pictou Landing First Nation, told a legislature committee today that the province’s duty to consult with the Mi’kmaq needs to be more than an afterthought or a “box to be checked.” Patrick Butler, the senior Mi’kmaq energy and mines adviser, confirmed during the hearing that chiefs were not consulted before legislation that was passed in March lifted a ban on uranium and a moratorium on fracking for natural gas. Butler says they also weren’t consulted when the Natural Resources Department said it was issuing a request for proposals for uranium exploration at three sites in…
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