Indigenous Leaders Unite Against New Oil Pipeline to B.C. Coast

The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation's Chief Allan Adam has joined forces with the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs to oppose a new oil pipeline to the West Coast.

In July, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed an agreement to fast-track the pipeline, which would carry one million barrels of tar sands oil per day along a similar route to the existing Trans Mountain pipeline.

The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has written an open letter to Carney and Smith, arguing that the project violates their duty to obtain free, prior, and informed consent from Indigenous peoples, as enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Chief Adam expressed concerns about the pipeline's potential impact on his community, citing health issues related to tar sands extraction and fears that treated tailings fluids would be released into the Athabasca River.