UBCIC Fully Supports Yinka Dene Opposition to Proposed Enbridge Pipeline

COAST SALISH TERRITORY/VANCOUVER, B.C., May 9, 2012 /CNW/ - Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs stated "By formal resolution in accordance to our Constitution and Bylaws, the UBCIC is steadfastly opposed to the Enbridge Pipeline Project and we will forever proudly stand with the Yinka Dene Alliance, Coastal First Nations, Heiltsuk Nation, Carrier-Sekani Tribal Council and the many other Indigenous Peoples who are standing as a unified wall of solidarity up and down the coast and heartland of British Columbia in their unbreakable opposition to this proposed Enbridge Tarsands pipeline."

"Make no mistake, water is the primary issue.  Water befouled by oil, will kill the fish, contaminate the soil, sicken the animals and reverberate through the whole of the ecosystem. Our Indigenous laws and our obligation to our future generations compel us to defend our territory and the health of our communities for both are intrinsically tied together and are inseparable. The fleeting short-term blip of economic gain promised by government and industry proponents of mega-projects like the Enbridge Pipeline Project, Taseko Mines' New Prosperity Mine and Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion are being opposed by Indigenous Peoples who are obliged to contemplate the long-term impact on their territories and on their families," said Grand Chief Phillip.

Grand Chief Phillip concluded "To state the obvious, Indigenous Peoples refuse to put their territories at risk as a consequence of the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline and crude oil tanker traffic.  As Indigenous Peoples, we have experienced time and time again when third party industry interests are granted access to the resources of our territories, the Federal and Provincial Governments protect those industry interests through the blatant betrayal our Indigenous Title, Rights and Treaty Rights which reflect and enshrine the deep environmental values that many British Columbians share with us."

Media inquires:
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, Union of BC Indian Chiefs
Phone: [phone]