Clyde River supports Greenpeace petition against seismic testing

The lawyer representing Clyde River, Nunavut in its fight against seismic testing off Baffin Island is welcoming a petition of support from Greenpeace.

Nader Hasan says the community has taken on Goliath by challenging oil companies and he hopes more people will be inspired to speak out.

People in Clyde River are attempting to block plans to do seismic testing in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait. 

The group that launched the federal court challenge will have to prove the National Energy Board didn't do its job, failing to properly consult the people of Clyde River before approving the seismic testing projects.  

To date, the concerns of Clyde River have been ignored by the federal government, the National Energy Board, and the oil industry.- Greenpeace

Hasan says the National Energy Board essentially rubber-stamped the application for seismic testing.

"I think that if Canadians knew about it, they'd be outraged and this Greenpeace petition is certainly helping garner attention," Hasan said. "So from that point of view, I think this will have a very positive effect on our efforts here."

In a news release issued in July, Greenpeace said it stood by Clyde River's fight against seismic testing, adding that the projects would have "severe impacts on marine life and traditional lifestyles of coastal Indigenous Peoples." 

The press release was also released in response to Minister of Environment Leona Aglukkaq, who criticized Greenpeace at the Inuit Circumpolar Conference in Inuvik, N.W.T.

"We are being called on to support communities where government is failing to protect the rights and interests of its own people," wrote Farrah Khan, a campaigner for Greenpeace, in the release. 

"To date, the concerns of Clyde River have been ignored by the federal government, the National Energy Board, and the oil industry. If Minister Aglukkaq acted as a steward for the Arctic environment — as an environment minister and chair of the Arctic Council should — then she would be listening to the concerns of Northerners and acting on them."

More than 3,500 people have signed Greenpeace's petition against seismic testing off Baffin Island.