Connect with us

Canada News

Indigenous chiefs, activists attend Kinder Morgan protest in Montreal

Published

on

The $7.4-billion Kinder Morgan expansion project would nearly triple the flow of oil products from Alberta to Burnaby, B.C., to 890,000 barrels up from 300,000 barrels per day. (Photo: Transmountain)

FILE: The $7.4-billion Kinder Morgan expansion project would nearly triple the flow of oil products from Alberta to Burnaby, B.C., to 890,000 barrels up from 300,000 barrels per day. (Photo: Transmountain)

MONTREAL — Three prominent Quebec-area Indigenous chiefs were among the hundreds of people who gathered in Montreal on Sunday to protest the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion.

Assembly of First Nations regional Chief Ghislain Picard, Mohawk Chief Serge Simon and Innu Chief Jean-Charles Pietacho spoke out against the project, citing the need to show solidarity with First Nations and other groups in British Columbia who are fighting against it.

A large crowd, many wearing raincoats carrying bright umbrellas, gathered under rainy skies as Indigenous singers beat a drum and sang of the importance of protecting water.

online pharmacy purchase champix without prescription with best prices today in the USA

Picard, who is the Assembly of First Nations’ regional chief for Quebec and Labrador, told the crowds that the debate over the pipeline cannot be restricted to B.C. and Alberta because climate change knows no borders.

“We respect the rights of our brothers and sisters in British Columbia to have their own debates,” he told the crowd.

“But we also say climate is indivisible, and we’ll have our word to say on any project that tries to diminish that reality.”

Simon, who addressed the crowd in English for the benefit of those watching in British Columbia, stressed the importance of solidarity with those fighting the project in western Canada.

He urged governments to divert the money that is spent on oil towards developing clean energy instead.

“We have to band together, and we have to force the governments to become a little bolder when it comes to investing in the future,” he said.

“Oil isn’t the future, it’s the past.”

The chiefs alluded to the recent termination of the Energy East pipeline, as well as the cancellation of plans to drill on Quebec’s Anticosti Island as proof that groups of citizens can exert enough pressure to halt projects.

“I want to make it clear that when you look at the movement that we were a part of here in Quebec that stopped Energy East, this is a movement that could easily be transferred over to a movement to boycott all services and products out of Alberta, if this is what Alberta continues to do,” Simon said.

online pharmacy purchase nizoral without prescription with best prices today in the USA

The chiefs were joined by several hundred cheering people of all ages, including environmental activists, union members and First Nations groups.

Many carried signs denouncing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and urging him to reconsider his government’s decision to approve the Trans Mountain expansion.

“As long as the politicians eat from the same trough as the oil companies, there will never be a change,” said Normande Lafreniere, who came in from Joliette, Que. for the occasion.

“But it’s up to us to say, we won’t have any more.”

Sally Livingston, a member of the Council of Canadians, said she was there principally to support the First Nations groups who were fighting pipelines.

“We have to start somewhere towards reconciliation, and this would be an enormous step,” she said.

The $7.4-billion Kinder Morgan expansion project would nearly triple the flow of oil products from Alberta to Burnaby, B.C., to 890,000 barrels up from 300,000 barrels per day.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Maria in Vancouver

Lifestyle5 days ago

Celebrating My Womanhood

The month of March is all about celebrating women and what better way to celebrate it than by enjoying and...

Lifestyle4 weeks ago

Maria’s Funny Valentine With An Ex!

Maria in Vancouver can’t help but wonder: when will she ever flip her negative thoughts to positive thoughts when it...

Lifestyle1 month ago

The Tea on Vancouver’s Dating Scene

Before Maria in Vancouver met The Last One seven years ago and even long before she eventually married him (three...

Lifestyle2 months ago

How I Got My Groove Back

Life is not life if it’s just plain sailing! Real life is all about the ups and downs and most...

Lifestyle2 months ago

Upgrade Your Life in 2025

It’s a brand new year and a wonderful opportunity to become a brand new you! The word upgrade can mean...

Maria in Vancouver3 months ago

Fantabulous Christmas Party Ideas

It’s that special and merry time of the year when you get to have a wonderful excuse to celebrate amongst...

Lifestyle3 months ago

How To Do Christmas & Hanukkah This Year

Christmas 2024 is literally just around the corner! Here in Vancouver, we just finished celebrating Taylor Swift’s last leg of...

Lifestyle4 months ago

Nobody Wants This…IRL (In Real Life)

Just like everyone else who’s binged on Netflix series, “Nobody Wants This” — a romcom about a newly single rabbi...

Lifestyle4 months ago

Family Estrangement: Why It’s Okay

Family estrangement is the absence of a previously long-standing relationship between family members via emotional or physical distancing to the...

Lifestyle6 months ago

Becoming Your Best Version

By Matter Laurel-Zalko As a woman, I’m constantly evolving. I’m constantly changing towards my better version each year. Actually, I’m...