Dear Sir:
As a Gitksan person I was shocked and devastated by the public announcement on Dec. 2, 2011 claiming the Gitksan hereditary chiefs have signed an agreement with Enbridge.
Elmer Derrick then twisted the knife with a second claim in the Vancouver Sun on Dec. 7, 2011 defending his actions in light of the immediate public backlash to this activity.
His statement in the Vancouver Sun aimed to claim, yet again, that the Gitksan support this agreement. It should be noted that the "Gitksan Hereditary Chiefs" are a small group and the very title of this organization is misleading. This group is not supported or comprised of all of the hereditary chiefs of the Gitksan Nation - which is 10,000 strong.
It is also folly for Enbridge to assume they understand the intricacies of our nation's laws when for the Gitksan it is a life-long process.
I would like to make this public plea for Elmer Derrick to cease making claims on behalf of the Gitksan Nation and the many other Gitksan hereditary chiefs who do not support the Enbridge project.Yet again he has betrayed the community by making a public statement through the media rather than addressing the Gitksan personally, which is really "the Gitksan way".
I am still a proud Gitksan, I do not support Enbridge - please give me the decency of not painting me with the same brush and don't put my entire nation under fire based on the actions of a small group of people.
Hilary Zornow,
Terrace, BC