First Nations group suing Alberta, Ottawa over oilsands impacts
Constitutional lawyer Keith Wilson, who has represented clients harmed by oil and gas developments before, says he's “very suspicious” of the Mikisew Cree lawsuit being “politically motivated.”
The Mikisew Cree First Nation has launched a lawsuit against both the provincial and federal governments, asserting that development in the region has caused considerable harm.
The Mikisew say their lands have been damaged, traditional practices have been disrupted and the local community is being afflicted with health issues related to the oilsands developments.
On this week's Buffalo Roundtable livestream, hosts Sheila Gunn Reid and Lise Merle were joined by constitutional lawyer Keith Wilson on the panel, who provided his legal insights on the matter.
“Things do occasionally go wrong, the industry is credibly responsible,” Wilson said of his past litigation efforts fighting for Albertan farmers and ranchers who had been negatively affected by oil and gas developments.
“I'm very suspicious” of the lawsuit he said, noting its contents are not yet publicly available.
“If I was framing it, I wouldn't be suing the government — I'd be suing the company that I believed to have caused the harm,” Wilson continued, speculating the lawsuit could be “politically motivated.”
Detailing how the oilsands were discovered, Wilson highlighted that the area is so resource rich that it is not buried deep within the earth. Rather, traders first discovered it running along the banks of rivers into the water.
“I don't know what's behind this lawsuit,” he said. “It just seems opportunistic and part of a pattern.”
The lawsuit conflicts with the Mikisew-owned multimillion dollar company that develops oil and gas, added Sheila. “For me, just as a non-legal observer, I feel as though they're talking out of both sides of their mouths and there's another agenda at play.”
Politicized lawsuits create additional problems surrounding hopes of truth and reconciliation, said Lise. “It doesn't look good on anybody, to be honest.”
The Buffalo Roundtable, which focuses on the top issues affecting Western Canada, airs every Wednesday at 11 a.m. MT right here at RebelNews.com.
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COMMENTS
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2026-05-15 13:54:54 -0400By this lawsuit, further investment and development will be stalled, but that’s probably the objective.
It’s like what happened with the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline. PET didn’t want it built, so the Berger Inquiry was started to give the image of impartiality and neutrality while stretching out the process long enough to make the project infeasible. The Royal Commission put enough distance between Trudeau and the pipeline so that PET could evade responsibility for scuttling it.
