These days, it's easy to feel like Canada has gone off the rails if you care about clean water, clean air, and what type of planet we're passing on to our children. Powerful oil interests are in the driver's seat, with a complicit federal government willing to steer us over the cliff by removing environmental protections that keep Canadians safe from oil spills, and other toxic trash. And the passengers -- citizens -- are told to just shut up about it.
It's easy to feel alone, but you're not.
Today, a trainload of First Nations from northern B.C. took to the rails (literally) to fight for a vision that's more in line with what Canadians want. The Yinka Dene Alliance, made up of five First Nations whose territory comprises 25% of the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway oil pipelines and tankers project, is taking a Freedom Train across Canada. They're travelling with allies from several other Nations like the Haida, the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs, and Tsleil Waututh. They're doing it to enforce their legal ban on the project, and to protect their freedom to choose their own future, and live according to their own cultures. It will be a long trip, too: All the way from northern B.C. to Enbridge's annual shareholders meeting in Toronto, making stops along the way to rally support.
Communities in northern B.C. are on the front lines of the current attack on the environment. The oil industry's desire to sell tar sands oil to Asia via the pipeline and tanker project is behind the gutting of key environmental safeguards, and moves to silence environmental charities. Nowhere does this hit home more than in communities most at risk of oil spills; communities that also worry what will happen to the 45,000 coastal jobs that rely on clean water.
But while the pressure to ram the pipeline through is being felt most directly by communities in northern B.C., the impacts of a Canada run by powerful oil interests will be felt by all Canadians. The removal of environmental safeguards will apply coast to coast to coast, meaning less protection for Canadians from oil spills, toxic mining waste, and dangerous air pollution. The stifling of democratic debate about major industrial projects means all Canadians will have less of a voice in decisions that impact us.
Nor is only the environment at risk. The economy could also be harmed by recklessly expanding tar sands oil production. As the Canadian dollar rises -- called a petro-currency -- jobs in other sectors like manufacturing, tourism, agriculture, or fisheries that depend on exports are at risk. Doubling down on oil might be good for extremely profitable oil companies, but isn't necessarily great for the rest of us. It's also the opposite direction that other countries are going, namely moving to clean, renewable energy.
So while the land and water the Yinka Dene want to protect might be a long way from where you live, we all have a stake in their message about the Northern Gateway pipeline. The Freedom Train is about their land and their culture, but the fight over this pipeline is about what direction Canada is heading. We can let the oil lobby drive us over a cliff, or we can join the Yinka Dene in changing the track.
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Please do not misunderstand me I am not an assimilationist. I recognize the First Nations claims. But their claims are not made in a vacuum. Our lands and cultures will be forever linked. What destroys my land and culture also destroys theirs. And of course their destruction is also my destruction.
We are all riding the Freedom Train. The only question is; where are we riding it too. Harper and his Hooligans would have it shunted off into a siding. This would be a disaster.
Our Indigenous laws say that we must protect our land and waters from threats such as the introduction of oil pipelines.... We have never given up our Title, Rights and legal authority over our lands. As self-governing Nations, we have a legal and moral responsibility to protect everyone from the harms that are sure to result if this pipeline is built.
Our laws state that we have a responsibility to ourselves, our ancestors, our descendants, and to all the people living in our territories and elsewhere to defend the health of our lands and waters. Our laws do not permit us to stand by and allow these oil pipelines to enter our shared Fraser River watershed.
Along with our more than 130 First Nations allies across BC and western Canada, our Nations are united as never before to protect against threats to our rivers, our ocean, and the plants, animals and fish that we rely on for our food, our livelihoods and our culture. We will not put them at risk.
It doesn’t matter what technical safety measures that Enbridge promises, or how much money they are willing to offer. We simply will not allow our communities to be placed at this risk, and we will use all lawful means available to ensure that this tar sands pipeline and tanker project, or others like it in future, are not built in our territories.
The Yinka Dene Alliance is sending 30 people on the Freedom Train ranging in age from youths of 16 to elders up to age 67. The Yinka Dene delegation will be joined on the train by representatives of other First Nations who are also deeply involved in the fight to keep their territories and waters free from Enbridge’s proposed tar sands oil pipelines and supertankers.
Agreed.
Oil Companies look only to their particular bottom line, not to the true costs of their actions on future generations around the world.