Sit-in urges B.C.’s Attorney General to stop construction on pipeline
Posted January 28, 2020 3:43 pm.
Last Updated January 28, 2020 4:33 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — David Eby wasn’t there, but that didn’t keep protesters from staging a sit-in at the Point Grey constituency office of B.C.’s Attorney General.
Brandon Gosnell with the group Our Time Vancouver says about two dozen demonstrators want to meet with him about ongoing efforts to halt construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline near Fort St. James.
“[Eby] has the authority to ask them to stand down and remove the checkpoint that they currently have set up regulating who can and cannot go onto the Wet’suwet’en territory,” he tells NEWS 1130.
However, Eby does not have that authority since he has no power over the RCMP.
Peaceful protesters currently staging a sit-in at constituency office of @Dave_Eby say they will leave by 5pm if he agrees to meet with them and address their concerns about #CoastalGasLink construction, but have been told he’s not in the office today. #Wetsuweten @NEWS1130 https://t.co/rVnlPWFEFX
— Marcella Bernardo (@Bernardo1130) January 28, 2020
Gosnell says some protesters are ready to stay as long as it takes to arrange a meeting with Eby and hold him accountable.
“Some will remain adamant and commit to their solidarity with Wet’suwet’en and demand [Eby] uses his authority and role to uphold our demands,” he says.
“We follow the leadership of the Wet’suwet’en Nation and the Indigenous youth arrested in Victoria and urge David Eby to use his position as Attorney General to uphold his government’s commitment and legal obligations to respect the free, prior and informed consent of the Wet’suwet’en Nation,” says Kate Hodgson, action organizer with Our Time, in a release.
While the multi-billion dollar natural gas project has support from the Wet’suwet’en Nation, some hereditary leaders remain opposed.