C.O.P.E. Announces Legal Action Against Feberal Government Over Offshore Drilling

The Committee for Original Peoples Entitlement (C.O.P.E.) issued a statement advising that legal action would be taken to halt drilling in the Beaufort Sea.

In the statement C.O.P.E. President Sam Raddi said

"If the government of Canada, which is supposed to be our protector, promotes and financially supports this offshore drilling, that is in violation of our rights and good sense, and refuses to give us the chance to settle the question (of drilling) through negotiation, then we have no choice but to go to court."

Over the prior year C.O.P.E. had approached Minister of Northern Affairs Warren Allmand several times in attempts to settle the issue of offshore drilling through negotiation in respect to the land rights of the Inuvialuit, the Minister chose not to respond to those requests until after he had announced further drilling in the area.

At the time Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (ITC) President Michael Amarook said that in light of a recent blowout in the North Sea, an inadequate Dome Petroleum oil spill contingency plan, and the failure of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs to adequately monitor their operations, ITC fully supported the position taken by C.O.P.E., and called upon the Minister to deny further drilling permits until the completion of a five year project to improve technology for containing and controlling oil spills.