Poster: Secwepemc-Ktunaxa land and water defender Kanahus Manuel will be speaking at the Confront Carney’s CEO Summit rally at Nathan Phillips Square at 6pm, which will then march to the CEO summit.
Secwepemc-Ktunaxa land and water defender Kanahus Manuel will be speaking at the protest against the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto. That summit will take place on September 14-15 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto.
The Canada Investment Summit promises to catalyze investment “to help move projects forward” in conjunction with the government’s Major Projects Office established to “accelerate projects by creating a single set of conditions, thereby reducing the approval timeline for projects of national interest to a maximum of two years”.
West Coast Oil Pipeline
On July 2, 2026, the Government of Canada announced it would refer the west coast pipeline project to the Major Projects Office. It notes: “This pipeline would transport one million barrels per day of oil toward global markets” and “largely follow the existing Trans Mountain corridor”.
The current Trans Mountain pipeline crosses about 518 kilometres of unceded Secwepemc territory in northern British Columbia.
In May 2022, CBC News reported: “In a letter dated April 29, [the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination] CERD said the governments of Canada and British Columbia ‘have escalated their use of force, surveillance, and criminalization of land defenders to intimidate, remove and forcibly evict Secwepemc and Wet’suwet’en Nations from their traditional lands…’ The letter goes on to name the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG) and private security forces as the perpetrators.”
The pipeline began commercial operations on May 1, 2024.
In August 2026, CBC News reported: “A group that represents numerous First Nations across British Columbia is calling on Ottawa and Alberta’s government to halt efforts to advance the West Coast pipeline, saying expanding the oil industry will accelerate climate change and disasters.”
The West Coast Oil Pipeline is now included on the list of projects highlighted on the Major Projects Office website.
Kanahus Manuel: “Canada must end violence against Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ land and water defenders”
Manuel has told Amnesty International Canada: “Violence is perpetuated not just by industry, but also by the Crown and the judicial system. These systems are not protecting Indigenous rights, human rights, or the earth. They are protecting industry by making money for the Government of Canada and bringing more investment into the country. When there are systems that do not care about Indigenous rights and human rights, they are going to try to get rid of us. They are trying to do this by criminalizing Indigenous peoples, by using disinformation and smear campaigns when Indigenous peoples are actually upholding Indigenous and human rights.”
Other recommended major projects
In September 2025, Prime Minister Carney announced five priority major projects including “LNG Canada Phase 2, Kitimat, British Columbia”. Then in November 2025, the prime minister announced another six major projects including “Ksi Lisims LNG – Pearse Island, British Columbia” along with “the 800-kilometre Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project to supply feed gas for liquefaction, and a 95-kilometre electrical transmission line to supply electricity to the facility.”
These major projects are opposed by Indigenous land and environmental defenders on Wet’suwet’en, Gitxsan and Gitanyow territories.
PBI-Canada observes call from Chief Na’Moks, Gwii Lok’im Gibuu and Katisha Paul against EDC financing of megaprojects (April 14, 2026)
The investors at the summit
CTV News has reported that at least nine unnamed investor groups from the United Kingdom will be present at this summit.
On October 21, our colleagues at Peace Brigades International-United Kingdom will be at the Good Business Matters Mass Lobby at the British Parliament to ask Members of Parliament to “hold businesses to account for harms against human rights defenders and communities”.
They are supporting the call for a UK Business, Human Rights & Environment Act.
PBI-UK has previously highlighted that “investors worth trillions”, including BMO (the Canadian Bank of Montreal) have signed an Investor Letter for UK Human Rights Due Diligence backing a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act.
Investors from Canada (including the Bank of Montreal), the United States, France, Norway, Australia, United Arab Emirates, China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia will also be at the summit.
Photo by Ali Christie of allies of Wet’suwet’en land defenders occupying the BMO branch in Nelson, British Columbia, February 12, 2020.
We continue to follow this.
Further reading: UN committee issues 3rd rebuke to B.C. and Canada over policing of Indigenous land defenders: Letter cites escalation in use of force and intimidation of Secwepemc and Wet’suwet’en land defenders (CBC News, May 11, 2022).
