Knowing what’s coming
B.C. Indigenous group anticipating RCMP action at anti-LNG pipeline camp
Supporters of an Indigenous camp blocking access to a planned pipeline in northern British Columbia say they are anticipating RCMP action over an injunction filed against them. Jennifer Wickham, a member of the Gidimt’ en clan of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, said on Sunday that police have gathered in Smithers and Houston, B.C., which are the closest towns to the Gidimt ’en checkpoint. “They have a charter bus, RV, and what seems to be a tactical vehicle,” she said. TransCanada has said it has signed agreements with all First Nations along its Coastal GasLink pipeline route to LNG Canada’s $40 billion liquefied natural gas project in Kitimat, B.C.
But Wickham says the company does not have the authority to build through Wet’suwet’en territory because the house chiefs, who are hereditary chiefs rather than elected band council leaders, have not given consent. “Our traditional governance system is separate, and that is who has jurisdiction over the house territories and clan territories,” she said.
RCMP said in a statement Sunday morning that while it is responsible for enforcing the injunction order, its top priority is safety.
“In planning for the enforcement of this injunction, police are taking the remote location of the Morice River Bridge into account and will be ensuring that enough police officers will be present in the area to keep the peace and ensure everyone’s safety,” the force said.
“The primary concerns of the police are public safety, police officer safety, and preservation of the right to peaceful, lawful and safe protest, within the terms set by the Supreme Court in the injunction.”
On Dec. 14, the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs issued a statement saying they were deeply concerned by the National Energy Board’s decision denying their request to participate in a jurisdictional challenge to the permits issued to TransCanada’s Coastal GasLink pipeline project, which would cross Wet’suwet’en territories. While members of another Wet’suwet’en house, the Unist’ot’en of the Gilseyhu clan, erected a camp and checkpoint in the area of the planned pipeline years ago, the Gidimt’en gate was erected 20 kilometres away in December.
“We wanted to show that even though the Unist’ot’en and Gidimt’en are from separate clans, all the chiefs have been opposed to pipelines in our territories for years and years and years,” Wickham said. “Unist’ot’en has been holding that responsibility all by themselves, so the (Gidimt’en) chief decided it was time for all of us to physically show our support.” In an amended injunction order filed Friday, a B.C. Supreme Court justice said the defendants - which include anyone “occupying, obstructing, blocking, physically impeding or delaying access” in the area - have until Jan. 31 to file a response to Coastal GasLink’s injunction application.