Solidarity of Nations Say No to Tankers with a Feast
The organizers kept bringing out more chairs and yet still there was standing room only. Almost a thousand people crowded into the recreation centre in Kitimaat Village on May 29th for a feast with a message. We were there to stop to the proposed Enbridge pipeline that would bring crude oil from Alberta’s tar sands to Kitimat and tankers to our coast. The opposition was loud and clear, from the billboard-sized sign outside that got the crowd chanting “We Say NO to Enbridge Oil” to the t-shirts that read “no pipeline, no tankers, no problem.”
The gathering was organized and hosted by the Haisla and Gitga’at First Nations, two of the Nations that would be deeply affected by an oil spill if this project goes through. If built, the pipeline would result in over 225 oil tankers per year passing through the narrow fjords of BC’s North Coast. We know that accidents happen, and an oil spill would just be a matter of time.
Youth and leaders from many other Nations, from both the coast and the interior, travelled in large numbers to express their opposition to the proposed pipeline and tankers. There was drumming, singing and dancing in regalia throughout the day. People from northern communities came out en masse. Elected representatives from the federal and provincial government were there to speak out against the proposed project. “Every day more and more people, from all walks of life, are coming together to stop this dangerous project,” said Gerald Amos, a Haisla Councillor and one of the event organizers, “they are sending a very clear message: Enbridge oil spills will not be allowed to destroy our territory.”
The speakers included many influential First Nations leaders. Art Sterritt, executive director of Coastal First Nations Great Bear Initiative was there to reaffirm the declaration made in March by Coastal First Nations that they will not allow tar sands oil to pass through their land and waters. “Enbridge pushing ahead with this project despite our declaration shows a lack of respect that will not be tolerated,” he said. Guujaaw, president of the Council of First Nations, sang a song in honour of the communities now suffering in the Gulf, and re-stated the Haida’s determination to not let tankers into coastal waters. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, was there to “stand in complete solidarity with all of the First Nations who are defending the integrity of their aboriginal title and rights from the environmental threats posed by the Northern Gateway Pipeline."
Throughout the day, there was inspiring evidence that people are taking action to protect the health of coastal ecosystems and the livelihoods of coastal communities. The day began with the Haisla singing and drumming a welcome to Norm Hann as he paddled up to the Kitimaat Village dock on his stand-up paddle board. Norm, along with a support team, had just stand-up paddle-boarded all the way from Kitimat to Bella Bella to raise awareness about the proposed tankers. His blog, StandUp4GreatBear, tells of what it was like to stand up and paddle through 7 metre swells for a cause you believe in.
Oil spills, accidents happen. We know this, and there is so much that we stand to lose. Everyone has their eyes on what is happening in the Gulf of Mexico. Alaskan biologist Riki Ott, who was on the ground during the Exxon Valdez and is now helping the clean-up in Louisiana, talked about how the ecosystems and communities of Alaska still haven’t recovered, over twenty years later. She knows what the communities in the Gulf are up against - the struggle to protect and restore ecosystems, the long-term health impacts on clean-up workers, and the struggle to get corporations to take responsibility for the mess they created.
The feast served up the rich diversity of the oceans, a reminder of all that would be lost in a spill. Salmon, halibut, crabs, herring spawn on kelp, seal, and sea cucumbers. (For the record, I now know that cooked sea cucumbers are a bit slimy, a bit bouncy, with some ooze in the middle.) Soup was ladled up in pots big enough to bathe in. And opposition to tankers was dished out alongside.
Even David Suzuki was there, reminding us that our economy needs to be limited by the finite ecosystems we live in. Project such as the Enbridge pipeline create economic growth for shareholders at the expense of the health of ecosystems and communities.
It was a day of strength; a day of determination to work together to protect ecosystems and sustain livelihoods and communities that depend on the land and water. It was a day to celebrate all the rich diversity the ocean provides. It was a day for First Nations and non-Aboriginal allies to come together in solidarity.
But we know that it’s not over. Two days before the gathering Enbridge filed its application for the proposed pipeline. There is still work to be done to oppose this project, but with the combined strength and commitment I saw in Kitimaat Village I am convinced that by standing together we can do this. Take action now to keep tankers off our coast.
