While in Montreal, Hereditary Chief Na’moks of the Wet’suwet’en Nation calls for respect for the rights of his people on his territory, in northern British Columbia, through which the Coastal GasLink pipeline is being built .
Posted at 5:09 p.m.
“The Crown and industry developers must respect, recognize and accommodate Wet’suwet’en rights and title throughout the 22,000 km2 of our territory,” reads a presentation by Chief Na’moks.
“Elected officials and industry are not showing us that” at the moment, he denounced during a press conference with Amnesty International at the Maison du développement durable on Saturday.
He also denounced the raids that the RCMP has carried out in the past three years against opponents of the construction of the gas pipeline, resulting in dozens of arrests.
Amnesty International has once again called for the suspension of works and the withdrawal of police forces from the territory, echoing the repeated concerns of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
Photo Philippe Boivin, THE PRESS
“The Crown and industry developers must respect, recognize and accommodate Wet’suwet’en rights and title throughout the 22,000 km2 of our territory,” reads a presentation by Chief Na’moks.
The human rights organization also reiterated its demands to the major Canadian banks to stop financing the project, as well as the fossil fuel industry.
Five major Canadian banks, RBC, BMO, TD, CIBC and Scotia, are funding the Coastal GasLink pipeline, according to the Banking on Climate Chaos 2022 report, produced by a coalition of environmental organizations.
Asked about the actions of anti-pipeline activists who allegedly set fire to two vehicles at the home of an RBC leader earlier this week, Chief Na’moks condemned the use of violence. “What they are doing to us is terrible, but we must not stoop to their level,” he insisted.
In a letter dated April 29, CERD is once again calling on Canada to suspend construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline until Wet’suwet’en consent is obtained. The UN committee also demands an investigation into the methods of the RCMP, in particular the excessive use of force.
The pipeline has been the focus of numerous protests, as Coastal GasLink won an injunction against the blockages and Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs sent the company notice to evict them from their territory.
In February 2020, First Nations people and supporters across the country blocked railroads and highways in solidarity with hereditary chiefs.
Construction of the 670 kilometer pipeline began in 2019 and is expected to be completed next year.