Wet'suwet'en Explained
The Wet'suwet'en land defence movement has moved in and out of public consciousness and the media over the past three years but this fight extends much further back and continues to this day.
Background:
Three particular companies, Chevron, TransCanada, and Enbridge, had proposed pipelines through Wet’suwet’en territory, all three working without consent. These three proposed pipelines are the Coastal GasLinks, Pacific Trail and Northern Gateway pipelines. The pipelines violate Wet'suwet'en sovereignty and put both the land and women of the Wet'suwet'en Nation at risk.
“Our people’s belief is that we are part of the land. The land is not separate from us. The land sustains us. And if we don’t take care of her, she won’t be able to sustain us, and we as a generation of people will die.” – Freda Huson, Unist’ot’en Hereditary Spokesperson
These companies are violating the Wet'suwet'en and Gitxsan nations aboriginal title, as affirmed in Delgamuukw v. British Columbia, and their rights as outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), by developing projects without free, informed and prior consent (see Consultation and Consent in Canadian Law).
The Wet'suwet'en and Gitxsan people have been taking action to protect their land with support from allies, successfully delaying pipeline projects, increasing their costs, and seeking to prevent these projects entirely. The government's response to this land defence has also violated the rights of the Wet'suwet'en and Gitxsan by forcibly removing Indigenous peoples from their lands and not respecting their rights to self-governance. The timeline below gives an incomprehensive overview of this movement.
The Timeline:
1997 - The roots of this movement lie in the Delgamuukw Supreme Court Case from 1997. In this landmark decision, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized that aboriginal title is not extinguished in the areas claimed by the Wet'suwet'en and Gitxsan. This decision provides additional legal basis for the Wet'suwet'en and Gitxsan to have full governance of their lands.
2007 - Ten years later, in 2007, there was an Interest and Use Study conducted on a proposed Pacific Trail Pipeline and the Wet'suwet'en expressed will to prevent all pipelines through their territory. Three key pipelines have been proposed through this land: the Coastal GasLinks, Pacific Trail and Northern Gateway pipelines.
2009-2010 - Following this, in 2009 a checkpoint was established on Wedzin Kwa entrance to Unist’ot’en Territory, and in 2010, construction began for a cabin directly in the line of proposed pipeline corridors.
2018 - On November 23, 2018, an application for injunction was served to Unist'ot'en Camp because of Coastal GasLink Pipeline LTD. The application ignored the jurisdiction and authority of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs, which was recognized in the Delgamuukw case.
2019 - On January 7, 2019, the RCMP and military forcefully breached a peaceful checkpoint on unceded Wet'suwet'en territory. This militarized intervention resulted in the arrest of more than 10 people and violated the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Following this attack, the RCMP set up a roadblock isolating the Unist’ot’en Camp.
2019 - Following the arrests on January 7, there was a massive outpouring of support for Wet'suwet'en with solidarity actions happening in over 70 cities. In the following months, there was a promise of proper consultation but no resolution was reached.
2019 - In late December, the B.C. Supreme Court granted Coastal GasLink an injunction calling for the removal of any obstructions including cabins and gates on any roads, bridges or work sites the company had been authorized to use.
2020 - On January 1, 2020, the Wet’suwet’en First Nation served Coastal GasLink with an eviction notice, telling the company workers are “currently trespassing” on their unceded territory
2020 - In hopes of de-escalating the situation, the hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en agree to seven days of meetings with the province. These talks failed after only two days.
2020 - On February 6, the RCMP move into Wet’suwet’en territory to enforce the court injunction. In the following hours and days, solidarity rallies take place across the country, blocking rail lines to #ShutDownCanada in support of Wet'suwet'en. The blockades and solidarity rallies continue until February 24th, when the last of the blockades are removed by the Police enforcing government injunctions.
2021 - On September 25, 2021, Gidimt’en Checkpoint organizers moved in to occupy Coastal GasLink’s drill site on the banks of the Wedzin Kwa River. And on October 18, Lihkt'samisyu chiefs Dsta'hyl and Tse'besa deactivated the Coastal GasLink Excavator after drilling began on their land without consent.
2021 - On November 18-20, 2021, the RCMP violently raided unceded Gidimt’en territory, removing Indigenous people from their land at gunpoint on behalf of TC Energy’s proposed Coastal GasLink pipeline. More than 30 land defenders were arrested, appearing in court on February 14, 2022.
Current Events:
Following the militarized police raids in November 2021, Hereditary Chief Dinï ze’ Woos (Frank Alec), Gidimt’en Checkpoint Spokesperson Sleydo’ (Molly Wickham), and Gidimt’en Checkpoint Media Coordinator Jen Wickham, made a submission to the United Nations highlighting the violations of their rights as outlined by UNDRIP. The other hereditary chiefs were not involved in this submission.
In this document, submitted on February 7, 2022, they write “The forced industrialization and police militarization of Wet’suwet’en land is a violation of Canada’s international obligations as outlined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). By ignoring the UNDRIP, Canada has violated our right to our traditional territories (Article 26); to life, liberty and security (Article 7); to govern our territories and to free, prior and informed consent (Articles 19, 32); to protect and conserve our lands (Article 29); to not be forcibly removed from our lands or territories (Article 10); and to determine our own development priorities (Article 23).”
The Gidmt’en Checkpoint hopes to gain some support from the UN through this submission as the threats to their rights and lives from Coastal GasLink and the Canadian government continue. In fact, as recently as February 23, 2022, the RCMP have been controlling a major road into Wet'suwet'en territory, denying members of the community access to their lands. Furthermore, corporate prosecution could be a very real possibility for Indigenous land defenders, as a B.C. Supreme Court judge invited a corporation to prosecute a Gitxsan hereditary chief when the public prosecutors decided not to. At the same time, Coastal GasLink has been fined $72,500 for environmental infractions, highlighting how serious the threat of environmental damage is if this pipeline were to be built.
“The governments of BC and Canada continue to violate Wet’suwet’en jurisdiction and the UNDRIP. Reconciliation will not come at the barrel of a gun. Canada and BC must withdraw the RCMP and associated policing and security services from [the] territory, and must immediately halt construction and suspend all permits for the construction of the CGL pipeline, in compliance with the [Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination] CERD Recommendations.”
Do your part to support Wet'suwet'en sovereignty by engaging in solidarity actions, writing to your government and staying educated and aware. In doing so, make sure to respect Wet'suwet'en sovereignty and their traditional governance system, and support and honour survivors. These movements are places that often see significant lateral violence (members of a community harming each other), an increased prevalence of pretendians (non-Indigenous folks claiming indigenous ancestry), harm to women and 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and the glorification of warrior identities to the detriment of traditional governance models. Be cautious and thoughtful when engaging in solidarity to ensure your actions are in line with the will and ways of the community.
Sources:
https://unistoten.camp/no-pipelines/background-of-the-campaign/
https://unistoten.camp/timeline/timeline-of-the-campaign/
https://www.yintahaccess.com/news/wetsuwetenresistance
https://www.yintahaccess.com/news/calltoaction
https://globalnews.ca/news/6560125/timeline-wetsuweten-pipeline-protests/
