The Wet’suwet’en and the British Columbia Pipeline Crisis



Written by: Madeline Fasel


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/

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Continuum of Hawaiian Sovereignty

The Lost Autonomy of the Mapuche Peoples

The Land Grab of Bears Ear National Monument