B.C. MLA states activist groups now targeting “other groups who are uninformed”

Feb 13, 2020 | 4:09 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Despite the growing opposition to Coastal GasLink’s pipeline, there are some who believe those opposed are simply professional protesters with no real vested interest in the outcome.

Cariboo-Prince George MP Todd Doherty says the public needs to be listening to the Wet’sewet’en people who voted in favour of the CGL pipeline, adding that many of the people standing as land defenders are being paid to do so.

“Those are the voices that we want to listen to, the real voices of the Wet’sewet’en. Not the ones that have no stake in the game but are paid activists,” said Doherty in a Skype interview with CKPG. “We know very well that the activists come from other areas of our country or even in the United States. I think that we need to listen to the real voices of the Wet’sewet’en who voted in favour of the economic prosperity that this project would bring.”

According to Skeena MLA Ellis Ross, the alleged activist groups have started to branch out to university towns in order to continue their demonstrations.

“The activists that actually do this, they do it very well planned. They go into a community like mine or the Wet’sewet’en and find divisiveness and they built upon it, they fund it. They put this slick campaign machine to the rest of Canada to actually blow it up into a mountain. They’ve done it time and time again,” said Ross.

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“First Nations along the pipeline route from Prince George to Kitimat saw through this and they started denying these activists to come into their communities to divide them. So now the activists have moved onto universities students, universities themselves in terms of professors, city councils such as Victoria. They’ve moved onto other groups who are uninformed and don’t know the whole picture.”

Along with demonstrations at the steps of the B.C. Legislature in Victoria, other rallies have been set up along CN railways as well as other political buildings across the country.

Ross adds that he was a First Nations leader for 14 years.

“I could never come close to the slick campaign that some of these activists do. You’ve got to give them credit, they’re good at what they do – dividing communities for their own agendas.”

Currently, there is no proof to legitimize either’s claim. In hopes of gaining contrast to these allegations, CKPG reached out to the Wet’sewet’en band office multiple times with regards to the demonstrations and their supporters.

At the time of publication, our requests have not been returned.

by Ethan Ready

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B.C. MLA states activist groups now targeting “other groups who are uninformed”

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