Dozens of actors, musicians and artists give their support to 150 Nations and Tribes standing against tar sands pipelines/expansion

Dozens of actors, musicians and artists give their support to 150 Nations and Tribes standing against tar sands pipelines/expansion

17 October 2017 (VANCOUVER) — More than 40 critically-acclaimed and talented artists, actors and musicians have thrown their support behind the Treaty Alliance Against Tar Sands Expansion, an unprecedented alliance of Indigenous communities in Canada and the United States opposed to new Tar Sands pipelines, tankers, and rail traffic through their traditional lands and waters.

The treaty is an expression of Indigenous law signed by 150 First Nations and Tribes on both sides of the border who oppose the expansion of the Alberta Tar Sands, and have banned tar sands oil from their territories. The ban extends to major controversial pipelines, including TransCanada’s Keystone XL, Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Expansion, and Enbridge’s Line 3.

Among those from the arts and entertainment community pledging to stand with the Treaty Alliance are:

Canadian:

• Neil Young, musician, Grammy Award winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.
• Grimes, Juno Award-winning record producer, singer-songwriter and visual artist.
• Sarah Harmer, Juno award-winning singer-songwriter and activist.
• Paul Haggis, Academy Award winning screenwriter, producer, and director.
• Joel Plaskett, Juno and Billboard Award -winning singer-songwriter.
• Dan Mangan, Juno Award-winning and Polaris Music Prize-nominated musician.
• Dallas Good, of the Juno Award-winning rock band, The Sadies.
• Peter Keleghan, ACTRA-winning actor, screenwriter, comedian.

International:

• Sarah Silverman, comedian, actor, producer, writer and Emmy Award winner.
• Patricia Arquette, actor, winner of Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe.
• Daryl Hannah, Saturn Award winning actor, environmentalist.
• Robin Thede, actor, comedian, host of The Rundown on BET.
• Russell Simmons, entrepreneur, producer, author, Def Jam record cofounder.
• Lucy Lawless, Saturn Award winning actor, activist.
• Jane Fonda, Academy Award- and two-time BAFTA Award-winning actor.
• Marky Ramone, musician drummer the Ramones, Grammy Award winner.
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr., environmental lawyer, president of Waterkeeper Alliance.
• Ed Begley Jr., Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated actor, environmentalist.
• Omar Benson Miller, actor, currently starring in the HBO series, Ballers.

Next Monday, October 23rd, Mazaska Talks (a coalition of Indigenous grassroots groups aligned with the Treaty Alliance) will launch their Global Days of Action, calling on major banks to stop financing projects that trample Indigenous Rights and desecrate Mother Earth. Tar sands pipelines will be a particular focus. Last week, the world’s 8th largest bank, BNP Paribas, committed to not fund tar sands pipelines, joining banks like Dutch-based ING and US Bank who have made similar commitments.

The complete is list of 46 endorsements to date further includes: Amber Valletta, Ashlee Margolis, BloodPop, Debbie Levin, Frances Fisher, Gordon Pinsent, HANA, Hart Bochner, Jane Fonda, Jane O’Meara Sanders, Jennifer Beals, Jennifer Esposito, Kenny Hamilton, Lance Bass, Leah Pinsent, Lucy Lawless, Leilani Münter, Melonie Diaz, Michael Eric Dyson, Paola Mendoza, Patricia Arquette, Peter Henry Fonda, Piper Perabo, Purity Ring, Robin Thede, Rosanna Arquette, Samantha Ronson, Scottie Thompson, Sleigh Bells, and Wendie Malick.

Quotes:

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), said: “After victories against two tar sands pipelines, the full weight of the Treaty Alliance stands against the 3 remaining tar sands pipelines, which violate our inherent Indigenous rights and treaty rights to the land, threaten to poison our rivers, and will accelerate the devastating impacts of climate change. We and our allies, like the 22,000+ Coast Protectors standing in the way of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Expansion Project, will continue to stand in the pipelines’ paths in the courts and to pressure banks like TD and JP Morgan Chase to stop funding these destructive pipelines. For the sake of our grandchildren and their grandchildren, we’re grateful to all of these artists for standing with us in a time when standing up for what’s right — as united Peoples — has never mattered more.”

Dan Mangan, said: “For far too long, Indigenous communities have, nearly exclusively, taken the burden of protecting our ecosystems from resource over-extraction. Their struggle to keep our water clean and soils fertile has been active since long before environmentalism was a mainstream idea. Aware or unaware, non-Indigenous individuals like myself (settlers) have reaped the benefits of their sacrifice. We owe the original inhabitants of this land respect — not only for enduring the well-documented atrocities imposed upon them since colonization, but a respect for their governing rights to their lands,” said Dan Mangan.

Patricia Arquette said: “I stand firmly in support of the Treaty Alliance. It is critical that we honor the rights of all Indigenous nations in their fight for clean water, soil and air. We have historically treated our Indigenous brothers and sisters with reckless disrespect and pursued our own rampant greed. I gratefully follow their leadership in this historic fight.”

Mike Hudema, a Climate & Energy campaigner with Greenpeace Canada, said: “This strong show of support from actors, musicians and artists shows that the movement to stop tar sands pipelines continues to grow. Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Expansion, TransCanada’s Keystone XL, and Enbridge’s Line 3 each trample Indigenous rights, put water and wildlife at risk, and pollute our climate. It’s time that banks and governments got on the right side of history.”

Matt Remle (Lakota), Co-founder of Mazaska Talks and Editor of Last Real Indians said:

“Divestment is the next stage in the fight against corporations that are poisoning our lands and waters.  Big oil, multinational corporations and their financial backers are not persuaded by moral and environmental arguments. Nor do they even care for following the rule of law, as we have witnessed violation after violation of Tribal Nations’ treaty rights.  They're capitalist and they are persuaded by one thing, money. So we're hitting them in the pocket books. Indigenous Nations and their allies are rising up to create a future with clean water and respect for human rights.”

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Contacts:

Jesse Firempong, Greenpeace Canada, Cell: 778-996-6549, jesse.firempong@greenpeace.org

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) Cell: 250-490-5314

Matt Remle, Mazaska Talks, Cell: 206-639-3610