The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs has called on Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to halt advancement of the proposed West Coast pipeline, arguing that expanding oil production will deepen the climate crisis already fuelling disasters across the country.
The letter, signed by Grand Chief Stewart Phillip and other leaders of the organization, was delivered Sunday on the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. It arrived the same day the British Columbia government declared a provincial state of emergency as more than 100 wildfires burned across the province, forcing nearly 25,000 people from two communities east of Vancouver to evacuate. Nearly half of those fires were classified as out of control.
Consultation and consent
"The destructive and disastrous consequences of expanding fossil fuel production extend far beyond any single territory," the letter states. "From catastrophic wildfires to destructive floods and rising seas, the impacts of climate change are already being felt across this country. Every new fossil fuel project deepens that crisis."
The chiefs argue that governments have not consulted or co-operated in good faith with First Nations. They note that the project corridor has already been developed, prospective partners named and the economic case publicly promoted before meaningful dialogue occurred.
"Consultation cannot be meaningful if First Nations are invited only to discuss how a predetermined project will proceed," the letter reads. "Nor can equity ownership, loan guarantees, revenue-sharing, employment, or other proposed benefits be treated as substitutes for consent."
Alberta and federal response
Alberta's Ministry of Indigenous Relations responded that the pipeline will provide long-term benefits for Indigenous communities, create jobs and strengthen energy security. Press secretary Karah Folk said the submission is under review by the Major Projects Office, which will consult with Indigenous communities as part of determining whether the project serves the national interest.
Carney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A copy of the letter was also sent to B.C. Premier David Eby.
The roughly 1,250-kilometre pipeline would carry up to one million barrels of crude oil per day from Bruderheim, Alberta, to a marine terminal near Delta, British Columbia, for export to international markets. The Alberta government is listed as the project proponent. Ownership would be shared among Trans Mountain, the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission and Pembina Pipeline Corporation.
Last week Ottawa moved toward granting the project a national interest designation under the Building Canada Act, a step that would allow the government to fast-track approvals and bypass certain environmental laws. Public feedback on the designation is being accepted until mid-September. Alberta expects to receive the designation by October 1, with construction potentially beginning as early as September 1, 2027, once all permits and Indigenous consultations are complete.
The pipeline's approval is conditional on the Pathways carbon capture and storage network, which would transport emissions from multiple oilsands sites in northern Alberta to an underground storage hub near Cold Lake. However, the Canadian Climate Institute reported in July that emissions enabled by the increased production would far exceed what Pathways could capture.
The West Coast pipeline is one of three projects the federal government has advanced toward national interest designation under the Building Canada Act, which passed with Conservative support more than a year ago. The others are the Grays Bay road and port project in Nunavut, the Mackenzie Valley Highway in the Northwest Territories and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization's deep geological repository in northern Ontario.
Based on reporting by Global News.