01 Jan Fraser River Indigenous Nations unite in opposition to Enbridge Pipeline Project (Common Ground)
by Chief Larry Nooski, Chief Jackie Thomas and Chief Art Adolph
The proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline is dead in the water: the waters of the Fraser River. Enbridge’s CEO, Pat Daniel, has been telling business groups that his pipeline has the support of “many” First Nations. We’ve got news for him. First Nations from the headwaters of the Fraser in the north all the way to its mouth at the Pacific Ocean are refusing to allow the Enbridge Pipeline through our shared watershed. On December 2, a historic alliance of over 60 of our Indigenous Nations in the Fraser River watershed declared, with one voice, that according to our ancestral laws:
“We will not allow the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines, or similar Tar Sands projects, to cross our lands, territories and watersheds, or the ocean migration routes of Fraser River salmon.”
By using our laws to ban the transportation of crude oil through our territories, we join our sisters and brothers of the Coastal First Nations, who banned crude oil pipelines and tankers from their territories just last March.
Far from Enbridge gaining support, it is the Indigenous Nations opposition to the pipeline that is growing. Enbridge talks about its protocol agreements with 30 First Nations as evidence of support for the project. In fact, Enbridge’s public documents show that these agreements simply “establish the ground rules and points of contact for discussion on all aspects of the Northern Gateway project that might affect or involve First Nations and Métis communities.” These agreements merely provide some funding so cash-strapped bands can review the thousands of pages of Enbridge’s application, and they expire. They do not indicate support for the project. …Go to article.