We want a share of revenues, Saami say

SIKU CIRCUMPOLAR NEWS

Saami in northern Norway say they should receive part of the revenue from oil and gas production in the Barents Sea, north of Norway.

“We can no longer stand passively and beg for money,” said Johan Mikkel Sara, the president of the Saami parliament in Norway. “We have to learn from the Canadians and start thinking in a new way.”

Sara recently vistited Inuvik to learn how the Inuvialuit Regional Authority has managed the Mackenzie pipeline development.

“Why should the Saami people be left with the low-status jobs when the industry unfolds in their traditional settlement areas? It should not be possible,” he said. “The Saami people undoubtedly have right the right to get parts of the oil and gas resources as long as it comes from their traditional areas.”