Tag: pipeline

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Poli SAVVY: Could Quebec be the host of the next biggest pipeline protest?

While all the attention has been on British Columbia and the widely unwanted project that would create an energy corridor over unceded Wet’suwet’en territory, opposition from Innu communities are mounting in Quebec.

Indeed, it seems like the Quebec government is not taking the nation-wide protests as a warning sign, but instead is planning to go ahead with another controversial natural gas project. The TransCanada pipeline expansion, which would stretch over 780 kilometres from Ontario to Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, is set to undergo environmental review next month. The Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE) will be in charge of holding public hearings and studying the construction plans.

Spoiler alert: the pipeline project would cross over ancestral territories.

In 2015, Énergie Saguenay (GNL Quebec), the company responsible for the project, signed an agreement with three Innu First Nations councils from Mashteuiatsh, Essipit and Pessamit. Yet, the agreement was settled without considering Hereditary Chiefs and ancestral rights. Déjà Vu, anyone?

While the pipeline is being sold as a climate crisis solution—hear me laugh—by its supporters, an open letter signed by over 150 scientists and environmentalists shows that the project would lead towards the augmentation of greenhouse emissions and poses a serious threat to biodiversity.

Some of you might think, the review process could put a halt on the project, right? In fact, the BAPE will produce an environmental report with recommendations but ultimately, the Quebec government will have the final say. As Premier François Legault has been demonstrating with his way of pushing controversial bills, he has no scruples when it comes to what he wants. And, unsurprisingly, Legault has repeatedly displayed his support towards the project, against all logic.

Will his government show the same irrationality when it comes to listening to Indigenous communities defending their lands?

The upcoming scenario is alarmingly too predictable.

 

Graphic by @sundaeghost

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Concordia celebrates five years of First Voices Week

First Voices Week Concordia celebrated its fifth year last week, from Feb. 3 to 7.

The week-long series of events was led by Indigenous students, faculty and staff at Concordia University, in collaboration with several faculty departments and organizations.

The organizing committee offered workshops, documentary screenings, a solidarity gathering for the Wet’suwet’en Nation in their land defense, an art exhibit and lectures, among other events.

Cathy Richardson, director of First Peoples Studies, said that this event series sends a clear message.

“We’re here,” she said. “You didn’t kill us all off, I know the government tried. We still face issues of structural violence,  but we’re here. We’re trying to thrive and have influence.”

Richardson said that First Voices Week is crucial.

It affirms the Indigenous presence on campus, allows Indigenous students to see themselves reflected in the institution as well as taking a leadership role in the programming,” she explained.

For example, the week-long art exhibit, located at the EV junction, featured art from current Indigenous students at Concordia. Alyssa Isaac, a Mi’gmaq artist from the community of Litsugu, Quebec, studies electroacoustics; and Morning Star Fayard, a Metis, Cree First Nation from the Cree community of Mistissini, studies economics.

Isaac’s art piece was an auditory experience that used the sound of beads running over each other, which were altered and layered to give off a “dream-like vibe.” Fayard displayed traditional winter clothing made from moosehide, like gloves and mocassins, all decorated with beadings or sewn illustrations. The clothing was coupled with a poem titled “Thankful~,” which gave her thanks to the moose who was used to make the clothing, and whose body was used without a spare.

On Wednesday, the same day as the Solidarity Gathering for the Wet’suwet’en Nation, First Voices Week Concordia published a letter on Facebook, reiterating their solidarity. As stated in their press release, the Coastal GasLink (CGL) never obtained consent to operate within unceded Wet’suwet’en territory. In the release, First Voices Week Concordia condemns the use of violence against Indigenous nations by the RCMP and calls for their immediate withdrawal from Wet’suwet’en territory.

First Voices Week also gave their “solidarity to the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs who represent all five clans of the Wet’suwet’en Nation and who unanimously reject the CGL pipeline on their territory.” First Voices Week calls on everyone to pay attention to the violence and intimidation directed toward the Wet’suwet’en nation at this time and infers that these acts are a clear indication of persisting Canadian colonialism.

At the Loyola Campus, in collaboration with the Hive Free Lunch Program, there was a special lunch made from traditional Three Sisters recipes using corn, squash, and red beans, coupled with a virtual reality short film experience. According to the presentation, the three plants were historically the base of the Huron-Wendat and Mohawk diet. It was explained that the practice of growing these plants together is still done today, as the leaves of the corn plant protect the squash from the elements, like wind, while the squash leaves prevent weeds from growing. The beans, in turn, release nitrogen into the soil and climb up the corn stalks as they grow.

“Centering Indigenous achievements and issues raises awareness of the possibilities of Indigenous rights taking more space in Canada and having others accommodate these changes towards a just and equitable society, where Indigenous treaties and lands are respected,” said Richardson.

 

Photos by Laurence Brisson Dubreuil

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Editorial // Standing in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people

We often hear the word “reconciliation” and think of positive connotations: restoring relationships between people, or trying to make certain views more compatible.

But it seems that this word is losing its power and its positivity, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau uses it as a buzzword when speaking about the relationship between the government and Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Of course, we have to realize that this word comes up so often because of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Yet, Trudeau very cunningly uses the word to satisfy settlers who don’t follow Indigenous issues too closely, but vaguely know that some compensation is in order.

We believe that, in the background, reconciliation is low on the Canadian government’s list of priorities. At least, it is below economic gain. This has been evident in abundant clarity by the government’s response to recent protests by the Wet’suwet’en people and allies in British Columbia against the TransCanada Pipeline. We at The Concordian strongly stand with the Wet’suwet’en people and their protest against the pipeline being built on their territory.

A court order from Dec. 14, 2018 granted TransCanada an injunction that allows them access to the construction site and to remove the blockade, according to The Guardian. Dozens of protestors gathered on Jan. 7 to block the construction of the Coastal GasLink, a natural gas pipeline, which is a $40 billion project by TransCanada, according to CBC. The RCMP arrested 14 protestors at the pipeline blockade last week.

TransCanada has said that they have the support of Indigenous leaders along the proposed route. On Thursday, Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs came to an agreement, after three days of meetings with the RCMP, but this is not a decision that reflects their true wishes. “We are adamantly opposed to this proposed project and that will never change, but we are here to ensure the safety of our people,” said Chief Na’Moks, who was present at the meetings, according to CBC.

We at The Concordian think it’s clear that this is another case of Indigenous Peoples’s voices being ignored. It’s another occurrence of Indigenous land being taken, despite laws and agreements being put in place to protect that very land. Trudeau himself stated multiple times during his campaign that he would not allow projects on Indigenous Peoples’s land without their explicit consent.

When we hear Trudeau bring up reconciliation and partnership between Indigenous Peoples and the Canadian government, we can’t help but feel skeptical. Constructing a massive pipeline on stolen land in the first place is wrong––how can our leader “work alongside” Indigenous Peoples while simultaneously taking what is rightfully theirs? It’s evident that there is not a clear and honest dialogue taking place. In fact, these recent events that have transpired highlight just how far we have left in order to truly reach reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. Oftentimes, when we think of reconciliation, we only focus on the context of past colonial violence. These events are showing us that that is not enough––injustice towards Indigenous Peoples is not isolated to the past; it is ongoing.

Enforcing the submission of Indigenous Peoples to the interests of colonisers is in fact the reason that the RCMP was created in the first place. John A. MacDonald established the then-named North-West Mounted Police in 1873 to enforce laws created by the Department of Indian Affairs, such as confining Indigenous Peoples to reserves or outlawing their religious ceremonies. The RCMP’s website says their origins lie in “implementing the law in Canada’s newly acquired western territories.” Obviously, that’s not the whole story. In fact, one of the earliest tasks of the mounties was to help negotiate treaties with Indigenous Chiefs, getting them to sign by promising only good will––a promise that Indigenous Peoples soon saw was not, in fact, made in good will.

It’s no surprise that today, Indigenous Peoples are being coerced out of their land rights by our government in favour of highly valued (and highly toxic) construction projects. It would be foolish to trust the government to respect Indigenous rights—and beyond foolish to trust their supposed desire for reconciliation. This is why we at The Concordian commend the many protestors that are opposing the pipeline, and encourage you to stay informed about Indigenous issues and rights, and participate in direct action as much as possible.

Graphic by @spooky_soda

 

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Editorial: Concordia students need to fight for what they believe in

You probably thought we were going to run an editorial denouncing the results of the U.S. presidential elections. To be frank, though, we are exhausted and sick of talking about it. The dirty campaign feels like it lasted a decade and, at The Concordian, we thought it’d be best to focus on another issue.   

On Thursday afternoon, our news team reported on a demonstration staged by a group of students and faculty in the mezzanine of the Hall building. Their intent was to protest the expanding of the Dakota Access Pipeline (also referred to as DAPL). The group consisted of individuals from a First Peoples elective class, as well as the Indigenous Student Association at Concordia.

If you haven’t heard about DAPL, then you need to get your head out of the sand and head right over to Google search. The situation is currently unfolding in North Dakota, where protesters are trying prevent the construction of a giant oil pipeline that would go straight through several indigenous territories and severely impact the environment in the regions.

This is why you probably saw a ton of people on social media checking in at Standing Rock, a Hunkpapa Lakota and Yanktonai Dakota reservation located in both North Dakota and South Dakota in the United States. The pipeline runs through this indigenous reservation and threatens the region’s only water supply. Protesters from around North America have gathered at Standing Rock, where they continue to challenge authorities as they wage a defiant fight to protect their rights and lands.

Local police units were using Facebook as a means of tracking and arresting protesters. This triggered a social media movement across the world, where individuals checked in to Standing Rock in an attempt to thwart the authorities.

While we applaud social media users for their efforts, checking in to a location with the click of a button is simply not enough. More needs to be done to send a strong message that a major pipeline which can cause severe environmental repercussions is unacceptable and inhumane.

This is why The Concordian fully supports the efforts made by the First Peoples elective class and the Indigenous Student Association during their protest on Thursday at Concordia. We encourage the rest of the student body to emerge from their hibernating states of disillusionment and mobilize towards the cause.

We also applaud the efforts of the Concordia Student Union and Divest Concordia to push for the university’s divestment from fossil fuel investments. If we are to stop pipelines from being built in the future, we need to move towards sustainable energies that won’t pollute our planet.

We know this week has been shocking and tough to say the least. But we cannot give up fighting for our rights, and the rights of others around the world. Even if you aren’t fully behind stopping DAPL or don’t really understand the situation, we encourage you to educate yourself and get behind a cause you believe in.

In the words of author Stephen King, “get busy living or get busy dying.”

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Indigenous community members visit Concordia to discuss climate change initiatives

Photo by Ana Hernandez.

First Nations communities are rallying the public to join them in defending the land from the North Dakota Pipeline

On Sept. 13, Divest Concordia and the Concordia Student Union (CSU) invited three Indigenous activists to discuss the effects of climate change and why they oppose oil companies, which they say are destroying their communities.

The speakers included Vanessa Gray, a youth activist from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation near Sarnia, Ont., and Kiona Akohserà:ke Deer and Onroniateka Diabo, who are both from the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory. Akohserà:ke Deer and Diabo recently returned from Standing Rock, where protests over the North Dakota Pipeline are taking place.

The discussion began as Gray outlined the challenges facing the Aamjiwnaang First Nation community. She said the area is surrounded by over 60 high-emitting facilities which make up over 40 per cent of Canada’s petrochemical industry. Even then, it is “impossibly hard,” she said, to mobilize the 800 residents against climate change.

“Climate change is not the subject people want to talk about in Sarnia,” she said. “In a place where education is shared—let’s take Concordia for example—talking about climate change might be easier than [in] a place where everyone’s livelihood is based off [gas companies like] Shell or Suncor.”

Companies that are not being held accountable for negligence are damaging the environment, said Gray, and the population is also affected by it.

According to Gray, thirty per cent of women in Aamjiwnaang have experienced miscarriages or stillbirths within their lifetime. “This is just based on where they live—not based on diet or what the mother is doing,” she said.

In an ongoing court case, Gray said she is facing heavy charges for her role in the December shutdown of Line 9—a pipeline with the capacity to carry 300,000 barrels of oil a day between Sarnia, Ont. and Montreal. This year, the pipeline turned 40 years old.

“We cannot survive a pipeline rupture like Line 9 because there’s no way of cleaning it up. This is why I’m facing life in prison—because there is no other choice at this point,” Gray said. “It’s just one of the many issues that connects us all. It connects me to you, because this pipeline starts in my backyard and ends here [in Montreal].”

After Gray, Akohserà:ke Deer shared what changes she recently noticed taking place in her Kahnawake community, and what she had learned since returning from Standing Rock.

She said she had been approached by young people outside the community who were looking for a way to work together. A lot of the elders are still reluctant to welcome those not of Indigenous descent, Akohserà:ke Deer said, however claiming she believes her generation is more open.

She further encouraged people to get the word out via social media, about the social injustices facing Indigenous communities not just locally, but globally as well.

For anyone looking to get directly involved, Akohserà:ke Deer said: “Try to educate yourselves a little bit before you walk into somebody else’s community. There’s different protocols everywhere. In Kahnawake, how we mobilize is completely different from how they mobilize now in Standing Rock.”

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