The Council of Canadians Chilliwack and Golden chapter have helped to raise funds for the Pull Together campaign.
The Chilliwack chapter recently passed the hat and raised $230 and the Golden chapter screened a new documentary called ‘Line in the Sand’ and raised $780. Both amounts were doubled by an anonymous donor meaning the two chapters were able to generate $2,020 for First Nation legal challenges against the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline.
Pull Together is a grassroots campaign that was started in 2014 to raise funds to support the legal challenges of six First Nations. The Nadleh Whut’en and Nak’azdli Nations are in the northern interior of British Columbia along the proposed pipeline that would move 525,000 barrels of bitumen per day from Bruderheim, Alberta to Kitimat, British Columbia. The Heiltsuk, Kitasoo-Xai’xais and Gitxaala Nations are located on British Columbia’s central and north coast, along the planned route of as many as 230 supertankers a year. The proposed tanker routes also encroach on Haida marine territory.
We believe that the National Energy Board’s joint review panel did not properly consider Aboriginal rights and title or weigh the adverse effects of the pipeline and tankers on territorial land and waters. We also share the view that the panel failed to properly assess the evidence before it according to established legal standards, that the consultation process was inadequate, and that the panel made its conclusions without providing reasons, notably not explaining why it found the pipeline would have ‘no adverse effects’ on aboriginal culture or the environment.
Last year, the Council of Canadians Mid Island, Victoria and Vancouver-Burnaby chapters raised $4,730 for the Pull Together fund.
Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow has stated, “Stopping the Northern Gateway pipeline is one of the most important fights we have right now. If we allow Northern Gateway to go ahead, it will mean a massive expansion of the tar sands, more harm to the land, water and climate, and yet another delay for the clean energy future we need. First Nations are the rightful stewards of their lands and should be the ones to decide if and how they are developed. The Council of Canadians will stand with them in the coming battles to stop this pipeline.”
The Pull Together fund has now raised $500,000 for First Nation legal challenges against the pipeline and is seeking another $100,000. For more on the Pull Together campaign, please click here. For more on Council of Canadians opposition to the Northern Gateway pipeline, click here.
Further reading
Mid-Island chapter helps to raise $3,500 for fight against Northern Gateway pipeline (December 2014 blog)
Three chapters raise funds for First Nation legal challenges against Northern Gateway pipeline (December 2014 blog)
