Ottawa, ON – The Council of Canadians denounces the excessive use of violence by the RCMP and stands in solidarity with those in Rexton, New Brunswick and around the world who oppose shale gas/fracking.

Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians, who was recently in New Brunswick, said, “Watching the day’s events unfold online was shocking. I met with the Elsipogtog leaders not long ago and know they are committed to peaceful resistance to stop the destruction of their land and water and what they do is in all of our names. We stand in solidarity with the people fighting to protect the water and the land.”

Angela Giles, Atlantic Regional Organizer, said, “To defend the rights of an American company, the RCMP came in with essentially para-military units including snipers, to remove the opposition. The New Brunswick government does not have the social license to allow fracking and the people will continue to fight for the future of their families, their province, and the environment.”

“Protesters in Rexton are standing up to a Texas company that wants to profit on the backs of New Brunswickers while placing the water and the environment at risk,” says Emma Lui, Water campaigner based in Ottawa. “Indigenous communities like the Elsipogtog First Nation are on the frontlines of defending water and the land for everyone, and this should not be criminalized.”

The Council of Canadians has supported the blockade by First Nations and others opposed to shale gas in Kent County, and members from both the Fredericton and Moncton Chapters have been participating in the blockade.