Setting the record straight on the day’s top anti-oil and gas media stories
ACTIVIST CLAIM: Alberta NDP Youth Association passes a motion to support blockades of Coastal GasLink claiming there is no Indigenous Consent.
THE FACTS: Alberta NDP Youth Association supports illegal blockades impeding resource development for Indigenous communities who support Coastal GasLink
THE SOURCES:
Here are some facts and sources to have a reasoned conversation about Coastal GasLink:
- All 20 elected First Nations governments along the corridor, including 5 Wet’suwet’en bands support the pipeline
https://www.coastalgaslink.com/sustainability/indigenous-relations/ - Hereditary Chiefs who support the Coastal GasLink pipeline have been threatened or had their titles stripped
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-hereditary-house-chief-declares-support-for-coastal-gaslink-plan/
- Coastal GasLink has provided a steady stream of employment for Indigenous people in the area. Since January 2020, CGL has employed over 350 Indigenous workers.
https://www.ominecaexpress.com/marketplace/construction-on-coastal-gaslink-brings-new-local-opportunities/ - Coastal GasLink has provided over $1 billion in employment and contract opportunities for Indigenous and local businesses.
https://www.coastalgaslink.com/sustainability/indigenous-relations/ - Indigenous leaders fear that activism from environmental organizations has become a form of “Eco-Colonialism” where many non-indigenous groups claim to represent Indigenous voices. This happened the entirety of the Coastal GasLink protests in winter 2020.
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/what-do-first-nations-really-think-about-trans-mountain
Stories that get it right
Why YOU Should Support Coastal GasLink
Apart from reducing global emissions, the CGL pipeline has also been a major economic boon to both B.C. and Canada alike. As of October 2020, CGL had awarded $979 million in subcontracts to local B.C businesses, 85 percent ($874 million) of which was to Indigenous-owned businesses. Among these, there are a host of other benefits Canada Action cites as reasons to support CGL!
