Action: Help uphold the rights of Secwepemc land defenders at the annual meeting for the Trans Mountain pipeline

October 31, 2020

Canada ratified the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination more than 50 years ago on October 14, 1970.

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention.

In December 2019, the Committee called on Canada to “immediately cease construction of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion project … until free, prior and informed consent is obtained from all the Secwepemc people.”

The Committee also called on Canada to withdraw the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) from the traditional lands of the Secwepemc.

And yet the construction of the pipeline continues, as does the criminalization of the Secwepemc land defenders and water protectors opposed to it.

The Canada Development Investment Corporation (CDEV) is the Crown corporation responsible for managing the investments of the Government of Canada.

Notably, CDEV owns the Trans Mountain Corp. (TMC) and is financing the construction activities related to the Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP).

$4.5 billion in public money was used to purchase the Trans Mountain pipeline, and $12.6 billion in public money is being used to expand the pipeline.

CDEV will hold its Annual Public Meeting on November 17 with a representative of its TMC subsidiary present to answer questions.

Questions are being accepted in advance until November 3.

CDEV and TMC should answer:

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has called for the construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline to be stopped, for the right to free, prior and informed consent to be respected, and for the RCMP to be withdrawn from Secwepemc traditional lands. Will you do so and uphold your commitments to the UN Convention on ending racism?

To send this question – or amend and add your own questions – to the public meeting, please click here by November 3.