Italy was outraged and the world was shocked over the Cermis cable car tragedy of February 1998, during which an American low- flying military plane sliced through the cables holding a car full of skiiers, plunging all 20
Italy was outraged and the world was shocked over the Cermis cable car tragedy of February 1998, during which an American low- flying military plane sliced through the cables holding a car full of skiiers, plunging all 20 of them to their deaths. Prime Minister Prodi called it an act of tragic recklessness. Outrage was renewed a year later when the pilot was acquitted by a U.S. military court. Europe resounded with an outcry against low-level flying in general and the American handling of the Cermis situation in particular. As a result, Italy decided to suspend NATO low-level flying over its airspace. The same NATO countries, including Italy, express little concern regarding the consequences of their regularly scheduled low-flying maneuvers in Labrador.
The provision of air space in Labrador for low-level flying operations constitutes a large part of Canada's contribution to NATO. The Goose Bay Military Operations website details Canada's revenue from low-level flying: "[Military operations generate] nearly $100 million of annual expenditures on personnel salaries [and] operations and maintenance costs; the foreign military participants contribute the largest portion of these costs according to a `user pay' formula associated with their training."
In 1999, Italy (and four other NATO allies) initiated a 10 year long low-level flying operation in Labrador. In June 1999 the Innu Nation alerted the Italian government to ongoing land disputes in Labrador. The Italian government, along with all other NATO members, has chosen to ignore the issue; NATO's official position carefully minimizes the land disputes. The European Union's stance is that the dispute over Innu land is not within its jurisdiction. In an August 4 1996 question-and-answer session in the European Parliament, MP Magda Aelvoet commented, "[The low-level flying maneuvers] cause noise nuisance and air pollution [and are] a serious threat to the way of life [of] this [Innu] indigenous people. Has the Commission ever considered this matter, and have alternatives to the low-level flights over this area been sought?" Sir Leon Brittan, Vice President of the Commission replied: "The Commission has no jurisdiction to deal with this matter. It is solely [a question] for the national authorities concerned."
Only three years before, when the UN declared that the decade between 1993 and 2003 be "The Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples," the European Parliament was an enthusiastic supporter. Hiltrud Breyer, member of the European Parliament, said in 1993, "The European Parliament has passed various resolutions…expressing its concern for the situation of indigenous peoples. I hope it will strengthen its efforts for the realization of their human rights." These encouraging words have not been backed by action. On the contrary, both NATO and Canada have sponsored studies to support the position that low-level flying has no negative impact on the environment. An article by Cliff Wells entitled "Low-level Flying Having No Evident Impact, Chair Says" was published in The Labradorian on February 28, 2000. Wells stated that the studies were still in progress, but "while the jury may still be out, there is no indication that low-level flying causes any environmental harm."
Evidence gathered in Labrador and elsewhere suggests, however, that the impact of low-level flying on the environment and on humans is severe.
Innu leader Elizabeth Penashue described during a peace assembly held at McGill University in 1994 the experience of overhead low-level flying. The violent, loud, unexpected noise -- coming from nowhere -- stops people in their tracks; it disorients them, terrorizing children and pregnant women. Elderly people fear that their hearts will stop. Mary Wadden describes a similar experience in her book, Nitassinan: "…I was hit by an abrupt, incredible blast of noise. The tent canvas shook. I fell back on the floor, my ears rang, and I felt my heart begin to pound painfully." This effect is acknowledged by European authorities as well. Roland Fournes, German Consul General in Toronto, admitted during a meeting with Innu representatives in 1992 that he had experienced the horrendous noise in Germany. "Your heart nearly stops!...But Canada is so much bigger than Germany." With this germane comment, low-flying operations continue.
The impact on wildlife is likewise severe. In his 1990 book Last Places, Lawrence Millman quoted Innu hunters' personal observations of low-flying's effects. The exhaust fumes from the jets cover the waters with a film that poisons the fish. The unbearable, relentless noise scatters geese and ducks, causing them to abandon their eggs. Foxes are so frightened that they eat their own young. These findings are corroborated by other sources. In an article published in The Ottawa Citizen in 1990, journalist Janis Hass claims that "the Department of National defense had to pay out $145,000 last year to compensate property o