Indigenous chiefs, activists attend Kinder Morgan protest in Montreal
MONTREAL — Three prominent Quebec-area Indigenous chiefs were among the hundreds of people who gathered in Montreal on Sunday to protest the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion.
Assembly of First Nations regional Chief Ghislain Picard, Mohawk Chief Serge Simon and Innu Chief Jean-Charles Pietacho spoke out against the project, citing the need to show solidarity with First Nations and other groups in British Columbia who are fighting against it.
A large crowd, many wearing raincoats carrying bright umbrellas, gathered under rainy skies as Indigenous singers beat a drum and sang of the importance of protecting water.
Picard, who is the Assembly of First Nations’ regional chief for Quebec and Labrador, told the crowds that the debate over the pipeline cannot be restricted to B.C. and Alberta because climate change knows no borders.