B.C. First Nations challenge Ottawa’s decision to fast-track Pacific Link pipeline
Indigenous leaders in British Columbia have filed court challenges against the federal government's decision to fast-track the Pacific Link oil pipeline. The plaintiffs argue that the government's national-interest designation bypasses meaningful consultation requirements.
Why it matters
This case highlights the ongoing tension between national economic infrastructure projects and Indigenous land rights in Canada.
A pumpjack draws oil from a well head with the Canadian Rockies in the background near Longview, Alta. Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Indigenous leaders have launched a new volley of court challenges against Prime Minister Mark Carney ’s push to rapidly approve the Pacific Link oil pipeline, arguing Ottawa failed to adequately consult an array of First Nations.
Two new applications for judicial review, representing nine First Nations, call on the Federal Court to quash Ottawa’s declaration of the proposed oil pipeline as a project of national interest.
At a Monday news conference in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond, Indigenous leaders asserted that Ottawa’s plan is unconstitutional and effectively pre-approved the pipeline after cursory talks with some First Nations over three months through the summer.
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