The Wet’suwet’en and the British Columbia Pipeline Crisis
Written by: Madeline Fasel
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Student Protest, http://charlatan.ca/2020/03/students-show-solidarity-at-wetsuweten-walkout/ |
The
Wet’suwet’en First Nation is an indigenous group whose territory is located on
the Western side of British Columbia, Canada. There are five separate clans
within the nation, including the Gil_seyhu (Big Frog), the Laksilyu (Small
Frog), the Gitdumden (Wolf/Bear), the Lakasamshu (Fireweed), and the Tsayu
(Beaver). Each clan represents a particular Tribe or House to identify families
and territories. These clans also each have their own hereditary chief(s),
which act as representatives for each individual clan. These chiefs review
proposed projects for big development projects that take place on their land.
Currently, they are looking at the $6.6 billion Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline
that would run right through their territory in British Columbia. This pipeline
would run 416 miles, from northeastern British Columbia to the western coast.
The hereditary chiefs said that they
never approved of this pipeline, for which approval would be required because
it is running through their territory. This territory was never surrendered to the
government and has always remained their own. There is technically no treaty in
place between the Wet’suwet’en and Canada, making this a tricky situation. In
response to this pipeline debacle, the Wet’suwet’en are doing what they call
“land-defending,” not protesting. They are claiming that they are not
protesting, simply standing their ground on their own land. However, no matter
what it was called, issues began to emerge with this “land-defending.” On
February 6th 2020, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) raided a
small outdoor camp of the Wet’suwet’en. Thirty arrests were made over the
course of five days. It is important to note that the land defenders were
unarmed, yet the RCMP came armed with rifles and dogs in the dead of night.
These arrests were made because Coastal GasLink had filed an anti-pipeline
roadblock injunction back in December, which was granted by the British
Columbia Supreme Court. However, the territory that the camp was on was not
technically Canadian territory. It was the Wet’suwet’en land, which the RCMP
had no authority to infiltrate. Article 10 of the United Nations Declaration on
the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) states that, “Indigenous peoples
shall not be forcibly removed from their lands or territories. No relocation
shall take place without free, prior and informed consent.” However, Canada was
late on the implementation of the declaration into law. Due to this crisis,
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waited to adopt UNDRIP. Most of those who were
arrested were later released without charges, but it was still enough of a
sting that it sent a wave of support throughout the entirety of Canada.
The
cultural impact that this issue has had, not just on the Wet’suwet’en, but on
the entire country, is simple to track. Their belief and news about their
stance on the pipeline issue has influenced many Canadians to protest
themselves on their behalf, setting up rail, port, and road blockades
throughout the nation. A total of 17 class walkouts occurred on March 5th
in solidarity to the Wet’suwet’en First Nations. While there is this wave of
support, there are also many Canadians who are now out of jobs or suffering
economically due to these blockades. They feel the same sympathies to the
Wet’suwet’en in regards to this issue, but they still did lose their jobs. Many
thought that the Wet’suwet’en should stand down due to the problems it created
for the rest of Canada, though at the end of the day, it boils down to how the
Canadian government chooses to react to these protests. There is also a strange
sense of irony in regards to this project, seeing as Canada earlier claimed
that environmental safety was their top priority… so, they decided to install a
natural gas pipeline in indigenous territory. There is a strong disconnect
between words and actions.
As
of right now, there is still uncertainty about what will happen with this
project. The Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs met with representatives of the
British Columbia government and they appear to have come to some kind of an
agreement. It is not yet known at this time what the agreement fully entails,
but it seems as if the pipeline project will continue to move forward with the
permission of the Wet’suwet’en people. There will be a four-day break for the
GasLink representatives and the chiefs to hold meetings discussing the
continuation of the project. The president of Coastal GasLink David Pfeiffer
said in a statement, “Coastal GasLink appreciates the dialogue that has
occurred over the past several days and the fact that significant progress has
been made to address the concern of the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs.” Quite
the statement to give, considering it was this company that had thirty unarmed
arrested on their own land just a month prior.
This
event sets a precedent on how to deal with these kinds of indigenous issues
going forward. This land was not owned by the Canadian government, despite some
of their actions stating otherwise, and the Wet’suwet’en have their own
governing system. There was also no reason for the Wet’suwet’en to give up their
land easily or just move to a new place, considering this land has been claimed
as their own for thousands of years. It is theirs, their ancestors, and their
children’s. They have set up their own way of life in this territory and have
the right to say what goes on this land, especially in regards to how it is
affecting their environment. However, where do we draw the line on these types
of issues when it affects more than just one group of people? That is a
question that will continue to be asked as situations like this continue to
emerge and grow more complicated with every passing day.
Sources
Berman, S. (2020, February 21). Everything You Need to Know
About the Pipeline Crisis In Canada. Retrieved from
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/y3m5dv/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-pipeline-crisis-in-canada
Harder, I. (2020, March 10). Students Show Solidary at
Wet’suwet’en Walkout. Retrieved from
http://charlatan.ca/2020/03/students-show-solidarity-at-wetsuweten-walkout/
Indigenous protests exposed tensions behind Canada's tranquil
image. (2020, March 7). Retrieved from
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-03-07/canada-rail-blockade-protest-westsuweten
Morgan, G. (2020, March 2). Work to resume on Coastal GasLink
after Wet'suwet'en chiefs, ministers reach draft arrangement in pipeline
dispute. Retrieved from
https://business.financialpost.com/commodities/wetsuweten-chiefs-ministers-reach-draft-arrangement-in-pipeline-dispute
Morin, B. (2020, March 4). 'Our hearts bled': Covering the Wet'suwet'en
crisis in Canada. Retrieved from
https://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/americas/2020/03/hearts-bled-covering-wet-crisis-canada-200301081006300.html
Parkin, A. (2020, March 2). The shifting lens through which
Canadians see the Wet'suwet'en crisis. Retrieved from
https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/march-2020/the-shifting-lens-through-which-canadians-see-the-wetsuweten-crisis/
Wet'suwet'en, O. of the. (n.d.). Office of the Wet'suwet'en.
Retrieved from http://www.wetsuweten.com/
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