First Nations expected a new era; instead the government has embraced colonialism and ignored UNDRIP law.
It’s the same old story Indigenous Peoples have heard for generations.
B.C. Premier John Horgan tells the public “the rule of law” demands the Coastal GasLink pipeline go ahead. Permits are in place, and the courts have approved construction.
Members of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation have fought for many years to keep three pipelines from running through their land in northern B.C. At stake, the protesters say, is their way of life, their culture and their system of governance which was recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada in the landmark Delgamuukw decision in 1997.
Tensions continue to run high over the 670-kilometre Coastal GasLink pipeline project, which has been approved by the federal and B.C. governments, as well as by 20 elected First Nations councils along the route.
It's become a defining moment not only in the evolution of Indigenous rights, but in the future of B.C.'s NDP government and Canada's oil and gas industry.
Please allow me to introduce Version 2.0 of the Justin Trudeau Climate Playbook. Version 1.0 came just after the COP21 climate talks that led to the Paris Agreement. Version 2.0 is just now surfacing and follows COP25 in Madrid which ended in dismal failure. Both versions are set against the same familiar background of the Alberta Tar Sands expansion.
This morning, I reflected on how frustrating it must be for some members of the B.C. NDP as they watch their government in action.
Teachers have learned that Premier John Horgan isn't seriously committed to upsetting the status quo that was established in public education through 16 years of rule by the B.C. Liberals.
People who think about the climate every day recognize that this NDP government is thoroughly and utterly committed to supporting the LNG carbon bomb in Kitimat that will rely on fracked natural gas.
"International human rights law requires governments to respect, protect, and promote the right of Indigenous peoples to make their own decisions about their lives and futures according to their own customs and traditions."
The impartiality of state institutions and international human rights obligations towards Indigenous land defenders are crucial elements in making space for peace.
A natural gas pipeline company has posted an injunction order giving opponents 72 hours to clear the way toward its work site in northern British Columbia, although the company says its focus remains finding a peaceful resolution that avoids enforcement.
The order stamped Tuesday by the B.C. Supreme Court registry addresses members of the Wet'suwet'en Nation and supporters who say the Coastal GasLink project has no authority without consent from the five hereditary clan chiefs.
One B.C. Hydro official likens intensifying fracking activities to “carpet bombing.”
Sometime after construction began on the Peace Canyon Dam in the 1970s, engineers at B.C. Hydro discovered that the 50-metre-high structure was being built on top of weak rock.
