NDP BC invades sovereign Wet'suwet'en territory, RCMP arrest defenders 2

..winnipeg

Strike Planning Meeting

Every Tuesday, Mar 10 - Apr 21

The Hive at the U of W

Our general assembly this week will focus on planning for the April 24th general strike as well as Wet'suwet'en solidarity actions. All are welcome!

Coastal GasLink broke provincial pipeline rules more than 50 times according to Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs. When they went to court, this was followed within days by the RCMP raids.  In court, the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) argued that it’s unfair to pick the government’s reasoning apart. It also says the government wasn’t strictly required to factor in the pipeline company’s record of infractions. The hereditary chiefs also expressed concern about the historical liks between resource extraction projects and violence against Indigenous women, children and two-spirited people.

Autumn Walkem, Nlaka'pamux, a supporter of the Wet’suwet’en puts up a sign to greet police at Unist'ot'en Camp in February 2020. Photo by Michael Toledano 

The company behind the controversial Coastal GasLink pipeline has violated conditions set by the British Columbia government more than 50 times, the province’s records show.

Some rules were broken for years. Others were repeatedly broken and only came to light after Wet’suwet’en community members complained, show documents filed in court. The infractions ranged from blocking Indigenous people from accessing their traplines to missing deadlines on commitments to conserve caribou and endangered plants.

Wet’suwet’en Nation hereditary chiefs, who pulled together the provincial records last month as part of a court challenge of the pipeline, say the pattern of rule-breaking raises doubts about whether the B.C. government should have allowed the project to continue. 

“Coastal GasLink has repeatedly flouted the conditions that were spelled out in their previous certificate, and shown only contempt for our people,” said Dinï ze' Smogelgem, a Wet’suwet’en hereditary chief of the Laksamshu (Fireweed and Owl) Clan, in a statement last month.  ...

The B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy did not directly answer whether 50 violations of provincial rules is standard for energy projects like Coastal GasLink.

“Each project has unique challenges and requirements,” the ministry said in a statement to National Observer. ...

Days before the raids, the hereditary chiefs filed an application in B.C. Supreme Court, alleging the province failed to consider Coastal GasLink’s spotty compliance record when it gave the pipeline company an extension on the environmental certificate, which is a prerequisite for construction. The petition asks a judge to overturn that decision, made by the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office (EAO), and send it back to the EAO to be re-examined.

The hereditary chiefs also allege the regulator should have considered the well-documented linksbetween resource extraction projects and violence against Indigenous women, children and two-spirited people.

In response, the EAO argued in court documents that it’s unfair to pick the government’s reasoning apart. It also says the government wasn’t strictly required to factor in the pipeline company’s record of infractions, though the agency says “record makes it plain” that the issue was “properly considered.”

The EAO also didn’t have a legal duty to fully explain to the Wet’suwet’en why it greenlighted Coastal GasLink, the agency said. The only party it owed that to is Coastal GasLink, the EAO court filing added.

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/03/09/news/coastal-gaslink-broke-b...

The Leveller: Wet'suwet'en Action Timeline

re: #209

..i caught wind of the standing committee yesterday long after it started. aptn had a live thing going on. i caught some of it just before it went on a break.

..wpg indigenous mp leah gazan was questioning tait-day on the male dominated heritairy chiefs. gazan sympatized with tait-day on that domination as she had faced this many times as well. 

..the discussion turned to how to fix the problem and 2 solutions agreed on between gazan and tait-day were..that it needed to be dealt with internally and that could happen only when the historical oppression ended. meaning the oppression coming from governments and corporations.

..gazan shared her time with ashton who asked an expert witness on the use of the rcmp. the witness rejected that use both in the territory and in the supportive instances such as blocking trains by indigenous folk. shortly after the committee break happened.

..i see none of this was reported in that national post piece. 

..good interview. 

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip: "Governments and industry need to understand one fundamental truth, there are no shortcuts in terms of consultation, and we are in a period now where consent is the legal bar." WATCH HERE:

Vanya S Cutler is with Jaimie Davis and Andy Inthesky in Smithers, British Columbia.

We decided to make some Wet’suwet’en Solidarity sweaters and will be donating all the profit to the Unist’ot’en legal team. These title rights and recognition is what ALL of our families fought for in the Supreme Court of Canada and won.

The Wet’suwet’en & Gitxsan proved we were here for 1000s of years with our own governance that was made illegal at one time (not that long ago) by the Canadian government. Don’t confuse holding up Wet’suwet’en law with protesting.

The shirts have printing on the back as well (outlined Wet’suwet’en Yintah & quote) and will be sold for 70 minimum (if you’d like to donate extra we will not oppose it). These are the first wave, there are only 40 as of right now but expect more in the future.

I’d like to thank Hereditary Chief Ron Michell (Hagwilnegh) for letting us use his quote on the back. Hagwilnegh was held by our grandfather Sylvester before Ron so that quote really means a lot to me. I’d like to thank Jaimie Davis (Gitxsan Artist http://www.jadacreations.co) for creating some beautiful original art with all the clans on the front (Big Frog, Small Frog, Bear, Fireweed & Beaver).

I’d also like to thank Andy not only for putting together the lettering/design, outline of the Yintah but also for printing all the shirts up today. We truly kept the Wet’suwet’en & Gitxsan relationship strong with this.

If you are interested in one please contact Andrea (Andy) on messenger. Thank you for all the support across the globe. Also watch out for more once these are gone with new colours.

K. So an update. Clans are still meeting and discussing mou. This mou is strictly for title. Nothing to do with cgl/Rcmp. Meetings should wrap up this week and an announcement made shortly after. We are focusing on title but that’s not letting cgl off the hook. #wetsuweten

Link

[quote=epaulo13]

K. So an update. Clans are still meeting and discussing mou. This mou is strictly for title. Nothing to do with cgl/Rcmp. Meetings should wrap up this week and an announcement made shortly after. We are focusing on title but that’s not letting cgl off the hook. #wetsuweten

Link

[quote=NDPP]

What kind of 'Title' mou discussions re Wet'suwet'en 'has nothing to do with cgl/RCMP?'  We will learn if/when this agreement is revealed...

Re #209:

I think both sides can claim the other has been coopted by non-Indigenous people. Indigenous voices are being drowned out on both sides by people using them for their own agenda. I am not saying that these agendas do not deserve to be heard. Nor am I saying that the pro-pipeline side does not have more advantages.

However, any who have an alternative agenda and seek to shout down any Indigenous voice, to present their position whould be considering whether or not they are an ally of the Indigenous people or an ally of the oil companies or of the environmental movement. Misrepresenting either of the last two as the former is definitely not being an ally to the former. You can make a case on behalf of the oil companies or of the environment but it should not be presented as solidarity with Indigenous people if that is not the core motivation. Taking sides where there are divisons within the Indigenous community while claiming to speak for Indigenous people is intervening and silencing Indigenous voices. 

Increasingly it has become obvious that more Indigenous people want to take back control over this discussion and not be used. They want other Canadains to back out, and give them time to make their conclusions.

Canadians can continue without exploiting Indigenous people to make their arguments on both economic and environmental issues. And they can call for economic justice for Indigenous people so that they are not bullied into positions due to economic injustice. Other Canadains can call for Indigenous process, jurisdiction to be respected, while cooling their own rhetoric on what that Indigenous position ought to be. Canadains can make without mention of Indigenous people an environmental argument that is not compromising -- or they can invoke Indigenous people accepting the decision the Indigenous people ultimately make.

There are alternatives to using them shamelessly to advocate a position that is independent of Indigenous concern.

I get that a environment is a priority for all argument some are making -- but if it is for all you do not need to invoke support for others while making it.

Given the exploitation and power imbalance in this colonial-built country. Extra caution should be applied when invoking support for Indigenous people when there is clearly no full consensus coming from them. 

I hope I am properly explaining the argument that Quizzical has been making in this thread. She has not attacked the environmental positions of anyone. She has only asked that people check their motivations and the privilege they have when seeking to speak for Indigenous people. For my part I think she has made a compelling case. I know many are invested and speak with the utmost sincerity and good intentions. I ask that you seek to try to understand her point and consider how you can advocate for your environmental position in that context of respect for the need for Indigenous voices not to be crowded out of their own advocacy. 

NDPP wrote:

Re: #221 'bc has always had alternatives'

Whose sovereign, unceded, unsurrendered Indigenous territory are the crunchy granola progressives prepared to support that development on? How superficial and selective their newly-found Indigenous sovereignty support obviously is. No pipelines no Greeny support for your sovereignty methinks.

What a gross misrepresentation of the debate in this thread.

NDPP wrote:

What a gross misrepresentation of my statement.

I remember this from elementary school

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z4JtetC8sQ

ETA: Your post was largely incoherent as you are suggesting Green environmental activists want a pipeline... 

kropotkin1951 wrote:

#209

This piece from the Nazi Post is a classic example of fake news that includes a  conspiracy theory about environmentalists. I think the NP should be banned form this site because it is totally unreliable and promotes a far right agenda designed to dampen any descent against the oligarchic rule in our country.

I think people are smart enough here to not need censorship of that kind.

ETA - at least most are.

Went into a major Vancouver drug store today to try and get some hand sanitizer and was told it gets sold out within minutes partly because of panic buying and partly because of the blockades
which have delayed products getting to market

NorthReport wrote:

Went into a major Vancouver drug store today to try and get some hand sanitizer and was told it gets sold out within minutes partly because of panic buying and partly because of the blockades which have delayed products getting to market

Yeah - right wing conservatives increasingly lie to advance their agenda.

Panic buying is across the country. It has nothing to do with the blockade. The vendor is probably racist and I would not shop there again if avoidable. 

kropotkin1951 wrote:

Here is the industry and public money that is being poured into it. The Wet'suet'en are being mugged by a conglomerate of foreign companies and you want to discuss whether it is a good thing or not for the gas industry to pollute Northern BC and make me and other BC residents pay for it. You and North Report are two peas in a pod, you want to talk about all the jobs to be had destroying my province in the fucking National Interest as defined by the National Post oligarchs. Go frack Ottawa and ship the gas through Quebec.

The Coastal GasLink pipeline will carry fracked gas from gas plays on B.C.’s northeast to Kitimat on B.C.’s northwest for export to Asian markets.

The pipeline is owned by TC Energy Corporation, a Calgary-based company more commonly recognized by its former name TransCanada and for another fiercely opposed pipeline project, the Keystone XL.

TC Energy has partnered with some of the world’s most profitable oil and gas corporations to build the 670-kilometre Coastal GasLink pipeline, which will cut through old-growth forests, wetlands, rivers, streams and habitat for critically endangered species such as southern mountain caribou. 

Want to know how much money TC Energy president and CEO Russell Girling makes? Girling made $11.4 million in 2018, according to company documents.

https://thenarwhal.ca/to-understand-b-c-s-push-for-the-coastal-gaslink-p...

You know I don't actually think you are as stupid as you sound this is why I get so angry when you insist on misinterpreting what other people say. I actually credit you with being able to understand what is written and can only conclude that this garbage from you is on purpose.

I did not defend the national post -- all I said was there are times when the media you oppose will cover something. I rejected your idea of blanket censorship becuase I think if someone references it for a reason people can understand the stance of the organization. 

Your straw man is on fire (or is it your pants)?

yesterday - Powerful student walk out and march in Dish with One Spoon Treaty Territory (Toronto)

Shut down of TC Energy Office in West Virginia

Rail Blockade in London Ontario earlier this week

Here at the Tofino/Ucuelet Junction roadside rally I had the privilege of speaking with Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Hereditary Chief Tyee Ha’wiih Wilson Jack, who shared his thoughts on the current affairs. .
.
“Look what the Canadian government has done. They put us on reserves. They limit us. They don’t want us to better ourselves. They don’t want us to self-determine our futures. They say, ‘This is your land but you can only do this and not that.’”
.
.
“As for whats happening up in Wet’suwet’en territory, it applies to all Indigenous communities. Canada and B.C. shouldn’t be going to the elected councils of the Nations before the hereditary governments. It’s the hereditary system that truly belongs to us. We should have the right to consultation first if they want to have a meeting about the land.” .
.
“So I stand 110% behind the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs. I’m tired of all this B.S. going on, where Canada and B.C. say, ‘We’re going to put extractive projects right through your community.’ I’m against that. It’s greed. They’re just there for the greed. They don’t worry about the land.” .

drift...

Grand Jury Refuses Felonies for Greenpeace Activists and Others Charged in Houston Oil Industry Protest

Today, a grand jury refused to issue felony indictments against the Greenpeace USA activists and others charged following the peaceful protest on September 12, 2019 at the Houston Ship Channel [1]. Thirty-one people had been charged with a felony by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office under Texas’ controversial new anti-protest law, but none were indicted on this charge by a Harris County grand jury.

Instead, 25 misdemeanor indictments were issued for obstructing a highway or other passageway. Six cases were dismissed completely before submission to the grand jury. Twenty-two people still face a separate federal misdemeanor charge for blocking a navigable waterway.

...end drift

Sean in Ottawa please read this book. Your National Post and other MSM reading has not given you a very good insight into anything that is currently occurring in indigenous communities. When it comes to understanding how indigenous communities can move forward economically I take my lessons from

not Quizzical or the Nazi Post.

https://unsettlingcanada.com/

and yet grand chief Derrickson started out as an "elected" chief.  The same type of Indian Act chief who ndpp and epaulo post so nastily about and say don't have the authority of the People. as you do too kropotkin.

wanna have it both ways if it agrees with your colonial perspective. 

what boat load of crap you spout.

you don't care if women hereditary Chiefs were stripped of the their status in decidedly a white male patriarchal way.

which was the  point of my post from the NP.

I have a question, to which I honestly do not know the answer.

Are these "Indian Act Postage Stamp chiefs" the same people whose salaries Harper wanted to make public, with his now-rescinded legislation?

Gidimt’en Checkpoint @Gidimten

THIS is the type of sustainable economic development we all need to look towards... @UnistotenCamp - what do you think?