Coastal First Nations reject Ottawa, Alberta pipeline deal

Key Takeaways:

• The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs is firmly rejecting the new Canada–Alberta MOU backing a bitumen pipeline to the B.C. coast and potential changes to the tanker ban, saying it was negotiated without coastal First Nations and violates Indigenous rights and environmental protections.
• The agreement puts Ottawa and Alberta on a collision course with B.C. and coastal First Nations, who have repeatedly opposed crude oil tankers in the Great Bear Sea and recently signed the North Coast Protection Declaration with Premier David Eby.
• For the construction and energy sectors, the MOU hints at another major pipeline build, but any project would face steep legal, political and regulatory hurdles — with no proponent, route or detailed plan yet in place and a high likelihood of court challenges.

The Whole Story:

The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs is strongly rejecting a new Canada–Alberta agreement that backs a proposed bitumen pipeline to the West Coast and contemplates changes to the federal tanker ban, calling the deal a direct threat to Indigenous rights and the environment.

In a statement from xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) territory, the UBCIC said the memorandum of understanding signed last week by the federal government and Alberta was negotiated without B.C. coastal First Nations and lacks adequate environmental, climate and rights safeguards.

The MOU, as described by UBCIC, explicitly endorses construction of a new “massive” bitumen pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast, proposes lifting or amending the federal Oil Tanker Moratorium Act and promotes Indigenous “co-ownership” of the project.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, UBCIC president, called it “a high risk and deeply irresponsible agreement that sacrifices Indigenous peoples, coastal communities, and the environment for political convenience.”

“By explicitly endorsing a new bitumen pipeline to B.C.’s coast and promising to rewrite the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, the federal government is resurrecting one of the most deeply flawed and divisive ideas in Canadian energy politics,” he said. “No bilateral deal can extinguish our inherent title and rights, and no federal legislation can erase the Crown’s obligation to obtain free, prior, and informed consent. The answer is still no and always will be. We will not stand idly by.”

Chief Marilyn Slett, UBCIC secretary-treasurer, said the framework attempts to use a federal–provincial agreement to sidestep Indigenous consent.

“Any attempt to use a federal–provincial agreement to sidestep Indigenous consent is fundamentally unlawful,” she said. “I cannot overstate how alarming it is to see the federal government signaling a willingness to dismantle or weaken the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.”

She said coastal communities have fought for generations to keep crude oil tankers out of what many now call the Great Bear Sea, and warned that offering Indigenous “co-ownership” of a pipeline while ignoring clear opposition from Coastal First Nations is “unacceptable.”

The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act currently restricts large crude oil tankers along a stretch of northern B.C.’s coast, including waters off Haida Gwaii and the mainland inlets where the Northern Gateway pipeline once proposed a terminal. That project was ultimately cancelled after court rulings found the federal government had failed in its duty to consult with First Nations.

UBCIC said any new attempt to push a bitumen pipeline to the North Coast risks “repeating the failures of Northern Gateway,” pointing to what it calls decades of unified coastal opposition to crude tanker traffic in the region.

The organization also linked its opposition to a recent agreement with the province. Several weeks ago, UBCIC and coastal leaders signed the North Coast Protection Declaration with B.C. Premier David Eby, in which the province signalled support for keeping crude oil tankers out of the area and committed to work with First Nations on marine protection.

“We are grateful that the Province of B.C. has listened to us, and we were honoured to sign the North Coast Protection Declaration with Premier Eby several weeks ago,” Slett said. “We urge Canada to realize that this MOU is a waste of time, and join us in protecting our precious lands and waters.”

The Carney government and Alberta under Premier Danielle Smith have promoted closer collaboration on energy and market access, and the new MOU is expected to be framed as a way to move more Alberta crude to tidewater while increasing Indigenous equity participation in major projects. Details of the proposed pipeline, including its route, ownership structure and timeline, have not been made public.

B.C.’s position puts it on a potential collision course with Ottawa and Edmonton over the future of the north coast. Eby has repeatedly aligned his government with coastal First Nations on crude tanker issues and has signaled that any new West Coast oil export proposal would face intense scrutiny.

UBCIC stresses that no federal–provincial agreement can override constitutionally protected Aboriginal title and rights, or obligations under federal laws such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and the Impact Assessment Act.

The organization is calling on Ottawa to immediately clarify whether it intends to weaken or amend the tanker ban, to retract any such commitment, and to confirm publicly that no pipeline will move ahead without the free, prior and informed consent of affected First Nations. It also wants British Columbia and First Nations recognized as full partners in any future talks about energy corridors to the coast.

For Canada’s construction and energy sectors, the MOU raises the prospect of another multi-billion-dollar pipeline project at a time when regulatory, legal and social licence considerations have already reshaped major project delivery. UBCIC’s swift rejection suggests any proposal emerging from the new framework would face significant legal and political hurdles long before shovels reach the ground.