Meetings are ongoing Thursday in Smithers, B.C., between Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and the RCMP over the enforcement of an interim injunction order to allow pipeline workers into the nation’s traditional territory.
The Coastal GasLink project is run by TransCanada Corp., now officially known as TC Energy, and is meant to move natural gas from northeastern B.C. to the coast, where a liquefied natural gas project is scheduled for construction.
Wet’suwet’en members had set up checkpoints on a remote stretch of forest service road preventing people working on the project from accessing their traditional territory, which sits about 300 kilometres west of Prince George, B.C.
On Monday, RCMP officers moved in on one checkpoint to enforce the injunction.
Fourteen people were arrested and the chiefs said they’re concerned about community members who were there, saying it was a traumatic experience. The chiefs came to an agreement among themselves on Tuesday night about allowing Coastal GasLink workers into the territory to de-escalate the RCMP presence and reduce the possibility of further enforcement action in the near future.
Now, they’re in talks with the RCMP once again on how things go forward with those who are living at the Unist’ot’en camp further down that same forest service road. The camp was established in 2010 and includes a healing centre. It has also been used as a checkpoint where people are only allowed through with permission from the hereditary leadership.
Ironing out conditions
The goal of Thursday’s meetings is to iron out concerns raised Wednesday evening regarding some of the conditions under which the chiefs may agree to allow Coastal GasLink workers and contractors in the area.
For example, they want to know if the RCMP will allow the people at the Unist’ot’en camp to keep the gate up at the entrance to their camp so they can continue to assert their protocol at the checkpoint as they’ve done for years.
The gates to the Unist’ot’en checkpoint were lit by headlights as hereditary chiefs left the territory Wednesday. (Chantelle Bellrichard/CBC)
Hereditary Chief Na’Moks said the last word on the agreement will be up to hereditary Chief Knedebeas because it’s his territory.
“He does not want any more of our people traumatized or arrested. And the trauma that has happened to the people that are there right now is our worry,” said Na’Moks.
“It’s very insulting, but it’s negotiations, a give and take. We need to look after our people. But there will be no construction, that must be made very clear.”
Coastal GasLink in attendance
Four people from Coastal GasLink arrived at the Office of the Wet’suwet’en Thursday morning. They will be taking part in meetings with RCMP and the chiefs.
Coastal GasLink has just arrived at the Office of the <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wetsuweten?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Wetsuweten</a> for meeting <a href=”https://t.co/AJOVt2bAgl”>pic.twitter.com/AJOVt2bAgl</a>
—@pieglue
The chiefs said this development doesn’t mean they’re consenting to the Coastal GasLink pipeline being built through their traditional territory, but it’s a temporary solution to de-escalate things while everyone figures out their next moves.
Coastal GasLink applied for an injunction at the B.C. Supreme Court in November, stating people at the Unist’ot’en camp were preventing their workers from gaining access through the forest service road. Coastal GasLink requested an interim injunction while the matter was working through the courts so pre-construction work could happen as soon as possible.
With that interim injunction granted, the RCMP has been tasked with ensuring that access is granted as stated by the courts.