Despite widespread opposition to the expansion of tar sands infrastructure in Canada, the country’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau approved two massive energy projects last week. If built, the expansion of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline would triple its current capacity — potentially moving nearly 900,000 barrels of crude oil each day. A second pipeline project, known as Enbridge Line 3 also got the go-ahead
While the government did deny another Enbridge bid, and banned crude tankers from the northern coast of British Columbia near Alaska, the Prime Minister said tar sands oil production will only increase. Energy transport companies argue pipelines are a safer alternative to the controversial practice of shipping oil by rail.
Trudeau’s Liberal Party prevailed in last year’s elections in small part to his promises to reduce reliance on oil, protect the environment and honor the country’s First Nations peoples. Now 100 tribes have joined in a Treaty Alliance to strengthen their resistance to the expansion Canada’s tar sands-dependent fossil fuel industry. FSRN’s Nell Abram spoke with Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.
Nell Abram: Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, welcome to FSRN. First, your reaction to the Canadian government’s approval of two tar sands pipelines, the expansion of Kinder Morgan’s existing Trans Mountain project and a green light for Enbridge Line 3?
Stewart Phillip: Well, without question, we’re absolutely outraged at the Trudeau government’s decision to green light both of these heavy oil pipelines. Needless to say, we view this as an absolute betrayal of the promises and commitments he made during the last federal election, in terms of the most important relationship with his government would be the indigenous peoples and our inherent treaty rights and our rights under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Secondly, Prime Minister Trudeau made a solemn promise to completely overhaul the Canadian…