Dec 2, 2016 - Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau Approves Two Major Tar Sands Pipelines

On Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau approved two major Tar Sands pipelines. Trudeau and his cabinet signed off on the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline and Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline. Combined, the pipelines will bring over a million barrels of Alberta oil sands to global markets. Separately, Trudeau rejected the permit for the Northern Gateway pipeline.

The Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline will increase the capacity of an aging pipeline from 300,000 barrels to 890,000 barrels per day running from the Alberta Tar Sands to Vancouver B.C. Additionally, it will expand the tanker port as tanker traffic is anticipated to increase from five tankers per month, to 34 per-month. The pipeline has been widely opposed by numerous 1st Nations.

“Now is the time to stand beside Indigenous people in support of our timeless struggle to defend Mother Earth. There is a battle being waged across the globe by Indigenous Peoples and their allies demanding a safe, healthy world for future generations. This is about water versus oil and life versus death, and ultimately, survival versus extinction.” — Grand Chief Stewart Phillip

“We’ll do what it takes legally to stop it. We’ll do what it takes to stop it, period. We’re taking a stand, that’s why we say no.” – Rueben George Tsleil-Waututh Nation

Enbridge’s Line 3 approval will double the current carrying capacity of its current cross Nation pipeline to 760,000 barrels per day. The pipeline runs from the Alberta Tar Sands to Wisconsin. The Line 3 pipeline has been strongly opposed by both 1st Nations and Tribes, in particular the Ojibwe, whose traditional lands are threatened by the pipeline expansion.

In an article for Last Real Indians, Clayton Thomas-Muller foretold of what awaits Trudeau, “If Justin Trudeau wants to know what’s waiting for him and his government if they approve a pipeline, they should send someone down to North Dakota. Or better yet, just look back at Canada’s own history, because if Trudeau thinks shoving a pipeline through Indigenous communities without consent is the hallmark of a new nation-to-nation relationship, he’s in for a big surprise.”

by Wakíƞyaƞ Waánataƞ (Matt Remle- Lakota)