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African Women 's Association During An Environmental Racism Forum Essay

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Both capacity issues and the lack of clarity surrounding the EA process were highlighted by Cheryl Maloney, President of the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association during an environmental racism forum held during the Atlantic Land Reclamation Conference November 8th (Maloney, C., personal communication, Nov 8, 2016). She spoke very candidly about how the technical nature (and language) of EA can be difficult to understand and that many members of her community felt that they lacked the scientific understanding to fully grasp the EA process (Maloney, C., personal communication, Nov 8, 2016). She also indicated that members of Aboriginal communities (particularly councils) are working tirelessly to process and understand EA documents and that often they sometimes lack the human resources to do so in a timely way, depending on their location or size of their community (Maloney, C., personal communication, Nov 8, 2016) In general, it is believed that many of the issues surrounding Aboriginal involvement in EA stem from the lack of consistency in determining what effective aboriginal consultation actually entails and the lack of guidance governing these practices (Hitch & Fidler, 2007). Evolution of Practice In Canada 's history of environmental assessment processes, the role and involvement of Aboriginal Peoples has morphed significantly over time (Kirchoff et al., 2013). Justice Thomas Berger’s inquiry in 1974 across Aboriginal communities was seen as a catalyst for

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