Wet’suwet’en

For years, Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs have been saying “no” to the Coastal GasLink (CGL) project, a 670-kilometre pipeline that would carry fracked natural gas from Dawson Creek to Kitimat in British Columbia, where it would be processed in a new liquefied natural gas plant on the coastal shore. A portion of the pipeline runs through these Indigenous lands.

The right to say no to industrial activities is an essential part of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which British Columbia passed into law in November 2019. In addition, the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs hold rights and title on ancestral lands that have been recognized by Canadian courts.

The Council of Canadians reaffirms our support for the land and water defenders protecting their traditional, unceded territory from extractive corporate pipelines and increased militarization from the RCMP. And we encourage you – our members and supporters – to stay informed and support them too.

Here are five things you should know about the Wet’suwet’en’s fight for their rights.