PSAC statement on the ongoing situation in Wet’suwet’en Territory

As rail blockades and nation-wide solidarity actions in support of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs continue, we call on Prime Minister Trudeau to find a peaceful solution to the ongoing dispute through nation-to-nation talks.

RCMP action to enforce the B.C. Supreme Court injunction in recent weeks has resulted in increased tensions and multiple arrests on Wet’suwet’en lands. We oppose any and all attempts to impose a resolution by force.

PSAC stands with the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs in calling on the provincial and federal government to uphold the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that confirms the specific right of  Indigenous Peoples to free, prior and informed Consent, and upholds the right to withhold or withdraw consent to any project that may affect them or their territories. The commitments of the federal and BC governments to reconciliation are hollow if these fundamental rights continue to be denied.

We will continue to stand in solidarity with all those who have courageously been on the frontlines in defending the earth and the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

February 18, 2020