As WetB次元官网网址檚uB次元官网网址檞eten hereditary chiefs headed for Ontario to meet with their Mohawk supporters in a nation-wide railway blockade to stop the Coastal GasLink pipeline, federal and B.C. Indigenous relations ministers renewed their plea for a meeting with them Wednesday.
In the latest effort by Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett and B.C. Indigenous Relations Minister Scott Fraser to get a meeting with the dissident hereditary chiefs, they wrote Wednesday to the Office of the WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n, where a minority of hereditary chiefs remain opposed to the pipeline that would supply natural gas to a new export facility at Kitimat.
Today I spoke with Chief Woos of WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n. Together with Min , we sent a letter to the Hereditary leadership reiterating our commitment to a joint meeting. We are open & available at the soonest opportunity.
B次元官网网址� Carolyn Bennett (@Carolyn_Bennett)
The letter refers to B次元官网网址渞epeated public and personal commitments by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier John Horgan and our own letters of Feb. 16, 2020,B次元官网网址� offering B次元官网网址渄edicated attention from both levels of government to work with you in charting a peaceful path forward. (See letter in full below.)
B次元官网网址淚n light of that, we both commit to be in Smithers as early as Thursday, Feb. 20 and will be able to meet with any of the hereditary chiefs to discuss these matters of great concern to the WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n Nation,B次元官网网址� Fraser and Bennett wrote. B次元官网网址淲e understand that some of the hereditary chief may not be available, and we commit to coming back again when they are.B次元官网网址�
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As the letter was being sent, WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n hereditary chief NaB次元官网网址檓oks (John Ridsdale), repeated the demands of the dissidents that the conditions for the meeting were unchanged.
B次元官网网址淩emove RCMP from our territory, remove [Coastal GasLink] from our territory, and weB次元官网网址檒l have discussions,B次元官网网址� The Canadian Press reported that NaB次元官网网址檓oks said Wednesday.
The demands refer to a mobile RCMP detachment in the remote region of northwestern B.C. where police arrested 28 people when they enforced a court injunction granted to Coastal GasLink this month.
The project has federal and provincial approval, and benefit agreements with all 20 elected Indigenous councils along the pipeline route from the Dawson Creek area to Kitimat, including Witset and other WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n councils. The dissident group has gained support from across the country, with blockades at roads, ports and railways from Vancouver to Quebec.
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