First Nations Engagement

Esquimalt Harbour is one of several critical sites in the seasonal round of the Lekwungen Peoples on southern Vancouver Island, now represented by the Songhees Nation and the Esquimalt Nation. In the establishment of CFB Esquimalt and the growth of the surrounding municipalities, the Nations’s ability to access their marine territories has become increasingly limited. The Marine Territory once provided an abundance of healthy seafoods, harvested for a variety of purposes, including for food, social, ceremonial, and economic uses. High levels of industrial development on the lands, increased marine traffic, and contamination of the intertidal harvest areas, have served as significant deterrents to harvesting by Nation members. The Department of National Defence (DND) acknowledges the historic and ongoing impacts, and thanks the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations for their graciousness and collaborative participation in projects within Esquimalt Harbour. DND recognizes that these relationships are imperative to the restoration of the health and abundance of the harbour, and we look forward to the continued and shared development and delivery of the Esquimalt Harbour remediation and monitoring programs.