On Thursday, February 4, 2016, representatives from West Coast Environmental Law were honoured to be witnesses as the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU) signed the Save the Fraser Declaration Solidarity Accord to stand together with First Nations banning tar sands transport through their territories.
Several West Coast faces in the audience at the BCGEU signing. (Photo credit: BCGEU)
Prompted by the risks posed by the Enbridge Northern Gateway oil pipelines and tankers proposal, the Save the Fraser Declaration is a document based in Indigenous law which bans tar sands oil tankers, pipelines and infrastructure from the signatories’ territories. The Yinka Dene Alliance (YDA), a group of six First Nations in northern BC, spearheaded the Declaration in 2010 and it has since been signed by well over 100 First Nations (see here for a map of signatory First Nations’ territories in BC).
Back in 2013, YDA launched the Solidarity Accord to the Save the Fraser Declaration so that people and organizations could pledge their support for the First Nations that had signed the Declaration. West Coast Environmental Law Association was proud to sign the Solidarity Accord at the 2013 launch event, joining an impressive list of allies including businesses, environmental organizations, politicians, and unions.
At the 2013 Solidarity Accord launch, Saik’uz Chief Stanley Thomas spoke about the importance of upholding Indigenous law in the face of the unwelcome Northern Gateway proposal. It was a challenging time: mere weeks after the launch of the Solidarity Accord, the Northern Gateway Joint Review Panel (JRP) recommended approval of the proposal, and despite vocal opposition by First Nations and British Columbians the federal government went ahead and gave the proposal the green light in June 2014.
Chief Thomas returned to speak again at this month’s signing of the Solidarity Accord by the BCGEU, and his words drew attention to how much has changed since then. The BC Supreme Court ruled in January 2016 that the Province did not meet its duty to consult First Nations on Northern Gateway. The federal Northern Gateway approval remains mired in a barrage of ongoing legal challenges. Northern Gateway cannot begin construction because it has failed to obtain supply contracts, and its federal approval is due to expire at the end of 2016 if construction has not commenced. The new federal government is promising a Pacific north coast oil tanker ban. Chief Thomas said that the addition of the BCGEU – a union that represents over 65,000 members here in BC – to a growing list of allies is a symbol of what the Save the Fraser Declaration is accomplishing. He ended with a message of hope, but also a reminder of the need to continue to stand together, stating that: “the tide is turning.”
Georgia Lloyd-Smith, articled student
Gavin Smith, staff counsel