Photo: On September 22, 2026, Bill Darnell, co-founder of Greenpeace, was arrested on Parliament Hill while taking part in a Seniors Climate Witness nonviolent climate action in opposition to new fossil fuel projects.

This morning, Prime Minister Mark Carney stated: “I’m proud to announce that the Government of Canada is officially listing the West Coast Pipeline, now known as Pacific Link, as a project of national interest.”

He added: “Over the next year, the Major Projects Office, supported by Canada’s Energy Regulator, will lead consultations with all stakeholders to set the conditions for the projects, specifics about the ownership, the benefits, the environmental protections, and the local hiring, contracting and oversight.”

And to be able to export this oil, the Prime Minister stated: “The federal government is investing $10 billion to expand Roberts Bank Terminal, which will serve as the landing point for crude moving through Pacific Link.”

The Roberts Bank Terminal is located on the Strait of George in Tsawwassen/Delta, British Columbia (about 35 kilometres south of the Rogers Arena where the Vancouver Canucks play hockey).

The statement posted by the Prime Minister’s Office highlights the timeline includes a deadline of “September 1, 2027, clearing the way to get shovels in the ground” and that this announcement provides the proponents “with confidence that the federal government supports this project”.

CBC News explains: “Listing the West Coast Pacific Link oil pipeline on Schedule One of the Building Canada Act means the federal government has moved from considering whether it should be built to how it will be built by fast-tracking the approval process, including environmental assessments.”

Secwepemc territory

When the Government of Canada first announced it would refer the West Coast Pipeline project to the Major Projects Office, it noted that the pipeline would “largely follow the existing Trans Mountain corridor”.

The current Trans Mountain pipeline crosses about 518 kilometres of unceded Secwepemc territory in northern British Columbia.

While the Trans Mountain pipeline was being constructed, Tiny House Warriors built small houses and placed them “strategically along the 518 km Trans Mountain pipeline route to assert Secwepemc Law and jurisdiction and block access to this pipeline”.

When the Carney government held its Canada Investment Summit in Toronto last month, Secwepemc-Ktunaxa land and water defender Kanahus Manuel stated outside the gala dinner of investors: “They’re the land rapers, they’re the thieves, they’re the ones that we’ll continue to fight back against. They’re our enemy, our enemy is there, just a short distance from us, and when they try to come through, we’re going to let them know, get the fuck out of Toronto and get the fuck off Native land.”

UBCIC opposition

In August 2026, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) stated: “The destructive and disastrous consequences of expanding fossil fuel production extend far beyond any single territory. From catastrophic wildfires to destructive floods and rising seas, the impacts of climate change are already being felt across this country. Every new fossil fuel project deepens that crisis.”

Seniors’ Climate Witness

Less than two weeks ago, eleven members of Seniors Climate Witness were arrested on Parliament Hill in Ottawa as they called on “the Government of Canada to reject new fossil fuel pipelines, uphold its climate commitments, respect Indigenous rights, and invest instead in a safe, clean and livable future.”

Michael Polanyi, who helped organize the Seniors Climate Witness protest, said the idea for it first came during the peak of the wildfire season this summer while at the same time – in “stark juxtaposition” – Ottawa announced it would spend billions on the West Coast Oil Pipeline and refer it to the Major Projects Office.

Indigenous land defenders and environmental activists

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.”

And last year, Mary Lawlor, then the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, stated: “People all around the world have been calling for climate action for decades. As they have been ignored, and the climate crisis has spiralled, they have found new ways to organise and advocate, including through civil disobedience.”

We continue to follow this.

Video posted by Kanahus Freedom Manuel.

Castanet.net reports: “Hundreds gathered at Chief Louis Crossing [on the Yellowhead Highway in Kamloops, British Columbia from where the Kamloops Indian Residential School can still be seen] on Tuesday [September 29] with drums and songs to ‘cleanse the area’ in response to a masked demonstration on Sunday [September 27] that has drawn strong condemnation from leaders across Canada.”

The Canadian Press reports: “Beginning in the 19th century more than 150,000 Indigenous children in Canada were separated from their families and communities and sent to church-run residential schools where abuse, malnutrition and inadequate health care were rampant.”

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) notes: “By the 1880s, the federal government had adopted an official policy of funding residential schools across Canada. The explicit intent was to separate these children from their families and cultures. In 1920, the Indian Act made attendance at Indian Residential Schools compulsory for Treaty-status children between the ages of 7 and 15.”

APTN National News has reported: “At least 3,200 children died at the schools, but the actual number is larger, closer to 6,000 if not higher, but extensive gaps in records related to deaths in the system may keep a final and conclusive tally hidden forever.”

On May 27, 2021, the Tkemlúps te Secwepemc First Nation announced that ground-penetrating radar had found more the 200 suspected children’s’ graves on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia.

In February 2026, the Canadian Press reported: “Whether to dig at the site has been a fraught question, with no agreement among survivors of the institution. Some have said they see exhumation as a process to help lay victims to rest, while others don’t want the site disturbed.”

This statement from the Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc explains: “Any remains would need to be repatriated to their home communities, an extremely complex and sensitive process involving extensive consultation with the Nations, DNA analysis, forensic expertise, and adherence to appropriate laws and protocols.”

Yesterday, APTN News reported: “A public demonstration by the white nationalist group Second Sons of Canada on land near the Kamloops residential school site over the weekend sent shockwaves across the country.”

Castanet.net reports that a “community cleanse” featuring drummers, singers, dancers, community members and allies was organized on Tuesday September 29 in response to the white nationalist group protest.

CFJC News reports that event organizers stated: “Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc is home to Survivors, descendants and families profoundly affected by the residential school system. Our community has survived attempts to remove us from our lands, languages, families and cultures but we are still here. White supremacy, racism and hate have no place on Secwépemcúl’ecw.”

We continue to follow this.

“Flash Mob” poster.