Trina Roache
APTN National News
Actor Ethan Hawke is adding his voice to the Mi’kmaq call for a moratorium on oil exploration in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Hawke will attend a water ceremony in the Mi’kmaw community of Paq’tnkek.
“The Gulf of St. Lawrence is truly unique in its beauty, culture and biodiversity,” said Hawke. “”I feel it is important to support my east coast neighbours in their demand for a moratorium.”
The event is an effort to raise public awareness of concerns over proposed drilling in the Gulf which is rich with fish resources.
A coalition made up of Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, and Innu fishers has opposed oil exploration in a region called Old Harry – traditional fishing grounds for indigenous communities.
Troy Jerome, Executive Director for the Mi’gmawei Mawiomi Secretariat, said the coalition’s calls for a 12 year moratorium have gone unanswered by government for the last two years.
“We’ve been trying to raise public awareness across all the provinces,” said Jerome. “This affects everyone. So we’re trying to get more people mobilised.”
Jerome said attaching Hawke’s name is already making a difference.
“I’ve been on the radio and TV, newspapers for two or three years,” said Jerome, “I see this level of awareness now doubled with the interest. Adding his name brings us a lot of exposure.”
Hawke owns property in Nova Scotia and, in 2011, worked with the Save our Seas Coalition and the David Suzuki Foundation, speaking out on dangers of drilling in the Gulf.
A spill in the ecologically sensitive area would affect five provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Quebec.
Critics have argued the environmental assessment is inadequate.
Jerome says First Nations have never been consulted.
The goal of the moratorium is to allow time for a comprehensive review.
The Gulf of St. Lawrence is one of the largest marine breeding regions in Canada, with more than 2,000 marine species choosing to spawn, nurse and migrate there year round.
It is also home to endangered whales and hosts some of the largest lobster production in the world.
Corridor Resources holds the licence to explore for oil in Old Harry. It expects to start seismic testing in 2016.
— with files from The Canadian Press
