Is Canada respecting indigenous land rights , The Stream

Hereditary chiefs of the Wet suwet en territory have long been fighting to keep energy companies off their land located within the borders of Canada s British Columbia. Those against a 640km natural gas pipeline are fearful that the project could contaminate their food and water supply. Unlike other First Nations in Canada, Wet suwet en land has never been ceded by treaty to the government. But complicating the issue is a difference in opinion between two segments of First Nations leadership: While Wet suwet en s hereditary chiefs are against TC Energy s Coastal GasLink project, elected band councils have approved of the pipeline construction. On February 6, Canadian police entered the territory to remove Wet suwet en land defenders from a protest camp. The move by authorities which protesters view as illegal has sparked blockades on major rail lines and roads to show solidarity with Wet suwet en. Some protesters have been arrested by poli