Submission deadline is August 24, 2018. Submit your application online by visiting the Proposals page of our website https://empoweringourfuture.ca.
SAUKIING ANISHNAABEKIING, ON – The Saugeen Ojibway Nation Environment Office has opened a Call for Speakers for the Free, Prior & Informed Consent Conference 2018: Empowering Our Future. The two–day conference will be held at the Blue Mountain Inn and Conference Centre from October 24 – 26, 2018.
Speakers and presenters are encouraged to submit their application online. The theme of the conference is Empowering Our Future and is designed to create a forum for First Nations communities to share their knowledge and bring awareness to FPIC. Session topics for the conference include; keynote, educational, indigenous perspective, cultural, legal developments and spiritual/physical.
Up–to–date information can be found on: Website: https://empoweringourfuture.ca Facebook: facebook.com/FPICConference2018
Twitter: twitter.com/FPICConference2018
Vision Statement
As keepers of the land, First Nation People have cared for Turtle Island since time immemorial.
As we move into the future, First Nation People will stand at the forefront of development, land use, mineral extraction and source water protection within our Territories; ensuring anything that occurs on First Nation land is done with respect, and in accordance with our laws and way of life. This conference is meant to reaffirm our ways and to incorporate Free, Prior and Informed Consent into business practices.
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Saugeen Ojibway Nation Environment Office (SON EO)
The SON EO operates under the oversight and direction of the Chiefs and Councils of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation and the Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation (the “Saugeen Ojibway Nation”). The SON EO provides infrastructure and expertise for environmental matters that affect the interests of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation and, in doing so, assists the Chiefs and Councils of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation to assert First Nation jurisdiction over the environment of the Traditional Territory.
Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)
FPIC is an inherent right to all Indigenous Peoples of the world. As described in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), FPIC allows for a process that is free of force, coercion, intimidation, manipulation or pressure from the government, as well as providing sufficient time for communities to review and understand the risks and benefits of the project in their own time. It is informed by scientific, environmental, social and financial experts, as well as traditional knowledge keepers, as to provide a thorough understanding of the long–term impacts. It gives Indigenous communities the ability to say yes or no.
