NEWS RELEASE

November 10^th, 2016

Nov. 19^th Call to Action: Stand in Solidarity with Land and Water Defenders

(Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, B.C. – November 8^th, 2016) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) calls upon our friends and allies across Turtle Island to stand with us at on November 19^th to defend our land and our environment against the expansion of the Tar Sands at the expense of our territories.

At noon, on November 19^th thousands will gather at the Vancouver City Hall for a rally and march to stop the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) Pipeline project. We stand in solidarity with Indigenous lands, water and environment protectors across Turtle Island, from BC to Quebec, from Burnaby to Lelu Island, from Muskrat Falls to Standing Rock. After nearly a decade of tireless Indigenous and non-Indigenous opposition to the Kinder Morgan TMX project, Canada’s final decision is imminent. We have a critical opportunity to send a powerful and united message of opposition to Ottawa.

Indigenous Peoples have consistently and repeatedly rejected the Kinder Morgan TMX project, including the arrest of UBCIC President, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip on Burnaby Mountain in November 2014 and objections to the corrupt and ineffective NEB Hearings and the sham Ministerial Panel this last summer. A Federal approval of this project would be an egregious violation of our inherent Indigenous Title and Rights, and a violation of the United Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip stated, “Now is the time to stand beside Indigenous people in support of our timeless struggle to defend Mother Earth, whether our Indigenous Land Rights are being violated in BC, by Kinder Morgan’s TMX pipeline, the Site C Dam, the Pacific Northwest LNG plant, or in Standing Rock with the Dakota Access Pipeline. There is a battle being waged across the globe by Indigenous Peoples and their allies demanding a safe, healthy world for future generations. This is about water versus oil and life versus death, and ultimately, survival versus extinction.”

It is in this spirit of solidarity that we call on all Indigenous and non-Indigenous allies to mobilize with us in Vancouver or at their own solidarity event, on Saturday, November 19^th, to send a clear message to Canada that we stand united in opposition to the Kinder Morgan pipeline. A victory against the Kinder Morgan pipeline will threaten other major pipelines that are facing protest from Indigenous peoples and allies, including Dakota Access, Energy East, Line 3, and Line 9 and will be a positive step forward to combating climate change.

Media inquiries:

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, Union of BC Indian Chiefs, (250) 490-5314