ID: 1956
Presenting Author: Moronkeji (Keji) Banjoko
Session: 714 - Assessing Information: Conflicting Data Interpretation and Eroding Public Trust
Status: pending
The Athabasca Chipewyan FN addresses disinformation by centering IK, challenging biased assessments, and developing tools to integrate Indigenous perspectives into environmental regulatory processes.
For over 50 years, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) has lived downstream from the world’s largest open-pit mining operations. The Nation has worked to place Indigenous Knowledge in the driver’s seat, using western science to reflect lived experiences on the land. ACFN’s methodology for data collection, assessment, and communication has been continually refined to advance stakeholder engagement and consultation, making the process more protective of Treaty Rights and strengthening outcomes. The Nation holds a responsibility to keep members informed of complex issues as they engage with settler governments and industry through regulatory processes.
ACFN has developed digital tools to improve monitoring, transparency, and trust among members, while countering disinformation and its negative impacts. Our collaborative approach with technical experts enhances communication of complex analyses, ensuring Indigenous Knowledge is respected and accurately represented.
In the age of reconciliation, we must ask: who benefits from disinformation and flawed consultation processes that fail to prioritize Treaty Rights and sustainable development? ACFN actively challenges the misuse of Indigenous Knowledge and harmful scientific assumptions about the health and environmental impacts of industry.
True preservation of ACFN’s inherent and Treaty Rights depends on recognition of ACFN’s Indigenous Science. During the session, we examine how Rights-based thresholds resolve conflict when facing biased data, revealing how fragmented systems hinder the application of Indigenous rights.
Keji Banjoko, working in Treaty 8 as the Government Relations and Consultation Coordinator for the ACFN - DLRM. Keji holds a law degree from the University of Kent.
Coauthor 1: Brian Fung