Coastal GasLink Pipeline construction to resume work after agreement reached

The CGL pipeline in British Columbia is expected to resume work as usual after talks between hereditary chiefs and senior ministers of provincial and federal governments reached a proposed arrangement however the agreement still needs the proposal of the Wet’suwet’en people.

The talks were held in Smithers, B.C. The pipeline has been at the centre of protest, just one of many that have disrupted both rail lines and road traffic across the country.

The Wet’suwet’en people are governed by both elected band councils and a traditional hereditary chief system. All of the elected band chiefs have voted to approve the CGL pipeline, but some of the hereditary chiefs, are deeply opposed to the pipeline running through their traditional territory.

The subject of the conversation was centred around land titles and Indigenous rights although precise details of the draft accord have not yet been released. There has also yet to be an agreement on the Coastal GasLink pipeline according to a joint statement by representatives of the Wet’suwet’en nation and the provincial and federal government.

One of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary leaders, Chief Woos said that the “degree of satisfaction is not what we expected”, despite him calling the draft a milestone for everyone involved, according to Global News.

Coastal GasLink issued a statement saying it would resume construction activities in the Morice River area on Monday following the announcement of the proposal. All work on the pipeline had been put on pause for the duration of the talks which began on Thursday.

Kenneth Deer, the secretary of the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawake, said that activists have decided to maintain their rail blockade on the territory south of Montreal until they receive more details on the proposed arrangement before they decided to remove any blockades.