The Peace and Friendship Alliance is coming together to save our land, water and air from irreparable harm. Although it was started in the Province of New Brunswick, the Alliance has grown past these borders.
The Water Declaration was introduced by the Peace and Friendship Alliance on May 30, 2015. It was delivered to the large number of people who converged upon Red Head, New Brunswick to say NO to Energy East. Experiencing this Water Declaration beside the mouth of the Wolastoq (Saint John River) and the shore of the Bay of Fundy was both moving and inspiring.
The Water Declaration was read again by Clanmother Sharlene Paul on World Water Day (March 22, 2016) at the Press Conference calling for the protection of rivers, lakes and drinking water in New Brunswick.
Sharlene Paul is a Clanmother and is part of the Wolastoq Grand Council. The Wolastoq (Saint John River Basin) are the traditional lands of the Wolastoqiyik, which translates to mean ‘the people of the beautiful bountiful river’,
Sharlene spoke to the role of the Wolastoq Grand Council as protector of water:
“We have never ever thought of water as a commodity. It is not a commodity to us, it’s a human right.”
“We consider water is life.” “What we do to water we do to ourselves.”
Sharlene also spoke to the role of the Peace and Friendship Alliance in protecting water, reading the entire text of the Water Declaration. A notable paragraph from the Declaration is the following:
“The Peace and Friendship Alliance opposes these abuses. We are committed to restoring balance to our relationship with the water, thereby renewing our treaty responsibilities to each other as distinct nations. When we care for the water, we care for each other.”
Energy East is only strengthening the resolve of the Peace and Friendship to oppose these abuses. It is unacceptable to the Alliance that TransCanada wants to build a 42-inch diameter tar sands export pipeline over 280 proposed waterway crossings in New Brunswick.
Red dots highlight the proposed path of Energy East through the 412km length of the Saint John River Basin in New Brunswick
The vast network of rivers, bays, fiords, lakes, and marshlands of the Saint John River Basin highlights the long list of unacceptable risks in New Brunswick. Red Head and the Bay of Fundy will be “the end of the line” for Energy East.
