Right now, #alleyesonwetsuweten is becoming a trending hashtag on Canadian social media. But who are the Wet’suwet’en? And why are people watching them? By: Priya Migneault Right now, TC (Trans Canada) energy, a Calgarian oil and gas company, is working to develop a pipeline through Wet’suwet’en territory called Coastal Gaslink. Coastal Gaslink LTD. is in the process of developing a 670 kilometer pipeline to connect their LNG (liquefied natural gas) plant to BC’s coast. The pipeline is supposed to run from Dawson Creek to Kitimat, BC. The elected council leaders of the Wet’suwet’en people have agreed to Coastal gaslink’s proposal and have stated that although it was a difficult decision for them to make they view it as a necessary project to benefit their territory, their economy, and their people’s quality of life. If the project were to go through an estimated 10,000 new jobs would be created during peak construction and a dividend of the projects profit would be paid to indigenous reserves along the proposed pipeline route. As of now all 20 elected indigenous bands along the route have agreed to the proposed pipeline. The Wet’suwet’en band leaders represent approximately 2,800 people in that area. The reason this pipeline has become such a massive issue is because the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs are opposed to the pipeline going through their territory. A hereditary chief is a political leader that controls a piece of land that has been passed down through past clan leaders. The Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs govern 22,000 square kilometers of traditional territory that they have deemed culturally significant. This territory has never been ceded or subject to a treaty and is located in the middle of the pipelines proposed route. Although, hereditary chiefs have been brought into cases at the federal and provincial level as political leaders the amount of power they hold over their territory and people remains a frequent debate, especially when they are compared to the territories elected band leaders. Starting in December 2019 those who agreed with the Wet’suwet’en chiefs about the proposed pipeline began creating blockades in the form of camps along the project’s route. On December 31st, 2019 the BC supreme court granted Coastal Gaslink LTD. an injunction and permission to start construction. This caused rising tensions among Coastal Gaslink workers and the Wet’suwet’en protesters, which caused Canadian law enforcement to become involved. On February 6th of this year the RCMP began removing and arresting Wet’suwet’en protesters at a camp along the route. This caused a spark of outrage on social media with people demanding that the RCMP leave the Wet’suwet’en people alone, and that Coastal Gaslink abandons the project or find an alternative route that both the hereditary chiefs and elected council agree on. As of right now, not much is known about how many protesters are located at the camps and what exactly is happening between the RCMP and the Wet’suwet’en people inside them. This is due to a lack of media access. The RCMP currently claim to be trying to set up peaceful dialogue between the hereditary chiefs, the elected council, Coastal Gaslink LTD., and the provincial and federal government.
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AuthorAWCS Youth Program Zed News YYC reporters Archives
December 2022
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