The Dene Activist

There was a need to respond to the impacts of increased oil and gas exploration activity in the Beaufort Sea and Mackenzie Delta regions and along the Mackenzie Valley.

Stephen Kakfwi responded to the challenge, organizing NWT Dene and Métis and participation of southern support groups in Justice Tom Berger’s landmark inquiry into a Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline.

The inquiry recommended a moratorium on development until Aboriginal land claims were settled and comprehensive measures to protect the fragile Mackenzie Valley and Beaufort Sea environment were implemented by government. It became a model for future regulation of frontier mega projects in Canada.