Allan Adam
{{Short description|Canadian indigenous leader}}
{{use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{infobox officeholder
|birth_date={{Birth based on age as of date|53|2020|07|15}}{{cite news |title=Chief Allan Adam on being beaten by police and Indigenous rights |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/7/15/chief-allan-adam-on-being-beaten-by-police-and-indigenous-rights |date=2020-07-15 |work=Al Jazeera English |first= Brandi |last=Morin |location=Fort McMurray, Alberta |quote=The 53-year-old is Dene and the elected chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation...}}
|office=Chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation
|term_start={{start year|2007|10}}
}}
Chief Allan Adam is the Chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in northern Alberta, Canada.{{Cite news |date=2020-06-13 |title=Canada indigenous chief battered during arrest |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53027704 |access-date=2020-06-13 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}{{Cite news |last=Porter |first=Catherine |last2=Bilefsky |first2=Dan |date=2020-06-12 |title=Video of Arrest of Indigenous Leader Shocks Canada |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/world/canada/Allan-Adam-athabasca-police.html |access-date=2020-06-13 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} He has served as Chief since October 2007.{{Cite news |last=Weber |first=Bob |date=2020-06-12 |title='Born leader': Contradiction is Alberta Chief Allan Adam's strength |url=https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/born-leader-contradiction-is-alberta-chief-allan-adams-strength |access-date=2020-06-13 |work=National Post}} Before becoming Chief, Adam had served as a band councillor since 2003, with responsibility for housing issues.{{Cite web |title=Chief and Council |url=https://www.acfn.com/chief-and-council |access-date=2020-06-13 |publisher=Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation}}
Political views
In 2015, Adam, along with the leaders of several other First Nations, spoke out against the First Nations Financial Transparency Act.{{Cite news |last=Wohlberg |first=Meagan |date=2015-08-24 |title=Athabasca Chipewyan defends non-compliance with FNFTA in court |url=https://norj.ca/2015/08/athabasca-chipewyan-one-of-five-first-nations-in-court-defending-non-compliance-with-fnfta/ |access-date=2020-06-13 |work=Northern Journal}}
Environmental views
Adam has advocated against oil sands development,{{Cite news |last=Dinshaw |first=Fram |date=2015-11-04 |title=Allan Adam wins re-election as chief of Athabasca-Chipewyan First Nation |url=https://www.nationalobserver.com/2015/11/04/news/allan-adam-wins-re-election-chief-athabasca-chipewyan-first-nation |access-date=2020-06-13 |work=National Observer}} having coordinated efforts involving prominent climate activists such as Greta Thunberg and Leonardo DiCaprio.
In 2014, Adam brought suit on his own behalf and on behalf of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation against Canada's Minister of Environment and Shell Canada in relation to Shell's proposed expansion of the Jackpine Mine oil sands project, located near Fort McMurray, Alberta on the lands of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation. Adam alleged that Canada had breached its duty to consult and accommodate by allowing the proposed expansion to go forward in spite of significant environmental impacts from the project.{{Cite journal |last=Craik |first=Neil |date=2016 |title=Process and Reconciliation: Integrating the Duty to Consult with Environmental Assessment |url=https://commentary.canlii.org/w/canlii/2016CanLIIDocs4298 |journal=Osgoode Hall Law Journal |volume=53 |issue=2 |pages=667–668 |id=2016 CanLIIDocs 4298 |via=CanLII}} The Federal Court dismissed his action.{{cite court |litigants=Adam v Canada (Environment) |url=https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/fct/doc/2014/2014fc1185/2014fc1185.html |reporter=2014 FC 1185 |date={{date|2014-12-09}}}}
In 2015, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, under Adam's leadership, brought a legal challenge against the Grand Rapids pipeline, then under construction by TC Energy.{{Cite news |last=Weber |first=Bob |date=2016-09-19 |title=Alberta First Nation revives lawsuit over Grand Rapids pipeline |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/alberta-first-nation-revives-lawsuit-over-grand-rapids-pipeline/article31952285/ |access-date=2020-06-13 |work=The Globe and Mail}}
In August 2018, Adam was the keynote speaker at the Arctic Indigenous Investment Conference held in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where he spoke in favour of developments such as the Trans Mountain pipeline.{{Cite news |last=Winkler |first=Marc |date=2018-08-10 |title=Chief urges Indigenous business leaders to support Trans Mountain pipeline |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/allan-adam-keynote-trans-mountain-1.4780252 |access-date=2020-06-13 |work=CBC News}}
2020 arrest
In June 2020, a 12-minute police video was released showing an officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police tackling Allan to the ground, punching him in the head and putting him in a choke hold after Adam repeatedly antagonizing and disobeying the first police officer's instructions to remain in the vehicle while conducting an investigation into a possible impaired driver. Adam had been charged with resisting arrest and assaulting a peace officer in connection with the incident, but the charges were later dropped.{{Cite news |last=The Canadian Press |date=2020-06-24 |title=Charges dropped against First Nations Chief Allan Adam in violent arrest |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/allan-adam-athabasca-chipewyan-first-nation-arrest-rcmp-assault-1.5624976 |access-date=2020-06-24 |work=CBC News}}
The video drew media attention to systemic racism in the policing of Indigenous communities in Canada.{{Cite news |last=Boynton |first=Sean |date=2020-06-13 |title=Greta Thunberg calls video of Chief Allan Adam's RCMP arrest 'very disturbing to see' |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7062598/chief-allan-adam-arrest-greta-thunberg/ |access-date=2020-06-13 |work=Global News |language=en}} Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed 'shock' and ordered investigations.{{Cite news |last= |date=2020-06-12 |title=New video shows RCMP tackling and punching Alberta chief Allan Adam in arrest |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/national/rcmp-allan-adam-video-arrest-athabasca-chipewyan-first-nation |access-date=2020-06-13 |work=National Post |language=en-CA |agency=The Canadian Press}}{{Cite news |last= |date=2020-06-13 |title=Justin Trudeau 'shocked' by video of indigenous chief being punched by police in Canada |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/13/justin-trudeau-shocked-video-indigenous-chief-punched-police/ |access-date=2020-06-13 |work=The Daily Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}
References
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Category:21st-century First Nations people
Category:Indigenous leaders in Alberta
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Political office-holders of Indigenous governments in Canada
Category:Police brutality in North America
Category:Police misconduct in Canada
Category:Police brutality in the 2020s
Category:Violence against Indigenous people in Canada