ACTIVIST CLAIM: Eco colonialist group – Leadnow – continues their disrespectful campaign of speaking for First Nations who want to speak for themselves.
THE FACTS: Bands within the Secwépemc Nation are eager to buy a share of the Trans Mountain pipeline. They have consented to the pipeline and activists are trying to silence Indigenous voices hindering their economic opportunities.
THE SOURCES:
In the middle of a climate emergency, and without the consent of the Secwépemc people, the federal government just approved another $10 billion loan for TMX from the public purse.
Here are some facts and sources to have a reasoned conversation about Trans Mountain.
- Bands within the Secwepemc want to buy a share of the Trans Mountain pipeline.
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/commodities/video/indigenous-groups-along-trans-mountain-route-want-majority-stake~1823360 - As of January 2021, Trans Mountain Corp. has signed agreements with 73 communities along its path, including many Secwepemc communities. 120 of the 129 total communities that could be affected by Trans Mountain support or do not oppose the project.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/federal-court-appeal-trans-mountain-1.5450748 - Many elected leaders of the directly impacted Secwepemc nations are supporters of the pipeline and elected councils have signed mutual benefits agreements for employment and financial benefits for Secwepemc in the Kamloops area. At least 8 of their communities have signed benefits agreements or have no concerns about the project’s impacts. These include the Canim Lake Band, Simpcw First Nation, Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc, Whispering Pines/ Clinton Indian Band, Skeetchestn Indian Band, Bonaparte Indian Band, Williams Lake Indian Band, and Soda Creek Band.
https://thediscourse.ca/general/transmountain-profiles/index.html
https://docs2.cer-rec.gc.ca/ll-eng/llisapi.dll/fetch/2000/90464/90552/548311/956726/2392873/2981674/3298691/A84533-7_Trans_Mountain_Attachment_1_Part_6_of_11_Condition_96_-_A5R5Y4.pdf?nodeid=3297161&vernum=-2 - Activist groups such as the Tiny House Warriors have been asked numerous times to leave by some of the elected chiefs of the Simpcw & Tk’emlups te Secwepemc communities as their communities support the pipeline project. The Tiny House Warriors have also been accused of harassing locals.
https://tkemlups.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020-07-02-Simpcw-TteS-Joint-Statement_SIGNED-002.pdf - 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
Kenney urges U.S. senators to convince Michigan to stop Line 5 shutdown
Premier Jason Kenney is urging the U.S. government to convince Michigan to abandon its legal campaign against the Line 5 pipeline.
He’s also floating the idea of a new bilateral pipeline project to help both Canada and the United States establish energy security.
Kenney is testifying today before members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
He registered Alberta’s disdain for the fact the U.S. is turning to countries like Saudi Arabia to meet its energy needs instead of his province.
