Opponents of the Site C dam have hit the road as a federal court date looms for the West Moberly and Prophet River First Nations.
The Treaty 8 nations are set to appear in court Sept. 12, appealing a federal judge’s decision on the project’s impact on constitutionally-protected rights to hunt, fish and trap after the challenge was dismissed by a judge in Vancouver last year.
On Sept. 5, more than 60 people gathered at Bear Flat to see the Treaty 8 Justice for the Peace Caravan off on its cross-Canada trip to raise awareness before the hearings begin.
“We’ve all been saying no in our own way. Some of us have been saying no by writing letters to MPs, to MLAs, to the premier, to cabinet ministers, to the prime minister, to anybody who will listen,” said Helen Knott, a spokesperson for the caravan.
“At the same time we’ve been saying no, we’ve been saying yes. We’ve been saying yes to honouring the treaties that our ancestors have signed. We’ve been saying yes to clean water that our grandchildren deserve, we’ve been saying yes to agricultural land.”
Construction on the dam passed the first year mark earlier this summer, with major work already completed on early phases of reservoir logging, a $470-million work camp, and the beginning of the civil works contract.
Opponents were dealt a blow in July after Justin Trudeau’s government authorized its first set of Site C permits, allowing construction to continue on the controversial $8.8 billion project.
NDP MP Romeo Saganash was in the region from Quebec to see the caravan off and lend his support. He criticized Trudeau and the Liberals for being slow to confirm support for his private bill to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
“The Liberals have made a lot of promises. I won’t doubt right now, or immediately, their sincerity, but as a member of parliament in opposition, I have a duty to test that sincerity,’ he said.
“Site C is one of those true tests for Trudeau. My bill … is that other test.”
The caravan, which left Monday, will make stops in Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie before arriving in Montreal Sept. 11. It plans to hit Ottawa Sept. 13 to deliver thousands of petitions in the hopes of meeting federal ministers.
