Native chief seeks funding from Venezuela's Chavez in oil fight

A Manitoba chief is appealing to Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez for support in his fight to squeeze royalties out of two companies building oil pipelines through the province.

Terrance Nelson, chief of the Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation, has sent a letter to Chavez asking for a $1 million donation or loan, which he says he will use to hire lawyers to force two companies to share revenues from two pipelines that will be built through what the band considers its traditional territory.

In the three-page letter, dated April 14, Nelson calls Chavez a "beacon of hope for poor and oppressed people everywhere" and asks him to turn an "international spotlight upon human rights violations against indigenous peoples currently taking place in Canada.

"The Canadian government has ignored the law and steadfastly refused to enter into negotiations with First Nations on the issue of pipeline right of way access," the letter says.

"The purpose of the $1 million is to help us finance legal action to ensure our First Nation is recognized for its legal right to be consulted, accommodated and to enjoy a reasonable share of benefits from this use of our lands and resources."

TransCanada's Keystone and Enbridge's Alberta Clipper projects will each run pipelines through southern Manitoba on their way from Alberta to the U.S. Midwest. Neither pass through the Roseau River reserve land, but Nelson says it will pass through what he considers the band's "traditional territory."

Nelson is convinced the controversial left-wing leader will help, noting he has spent nearly $1 billion subsidizing the cost of home heating oil for almost 40 native American bands in the U.S. since nationalizing Venezuela's oil industry.

The move is part of a larger campaign called "Wake Up America!" which Nelson hopes will persuade Americans to support the First Nation in its fight over natural-resources revenues.

If Chavez turns him down, Nelson said he'll fund his court battle with Roseau River band money.

But some band members don't support that notion.

Melvin Pierre says band money would be better spent on housing and services, "not to go and jump into fights or court battles with all these companies.

"We'll be doing that for the rest of our lives, and we'll still get nothing out of it," he said.

"I think we need to spend money in our community and on our kids first," said Tom Henry, another band member.

Henry added that he doesn't know where Nelson would find the money in the band's budget anyway, saying basic programs are already under-funded on the reserve, located about 80 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.