Together, First Nations Defeated Enbridge. Kinder Morgan's Next | HuffPost

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After more than a decade, Northern Gateway is finally dead. But our work is not over because countless First Nations, local governments and individuals impacted by Trans Mountain supported us in our fight against Northern Gateway, and we must continue to show our gratitude and support for them.

By

Elected Chief of Saik’uz First Nation, a member of the Yinka Dene Alliance of First Nations

Elected Chief of Saik’uz First Nation, a member of the Yinka Dene Alliance of First Nations

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When Saik'uz First Nation and the Yinka Dene Alliance first joined other First Nations to declare that the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipelines and tankers project would not be permitted in our territories, there were many people who said the project was too big to stop.

But after more than a decade of fighting the project at community rallies, shareholder meetings and in the courts, Northern Gateway is finally dead. The fight against Enbridge was about upholding our own indigenous laws to protect the lands and waters that we all rely on, and we knew that this work was bigger than any pipeline.

That is why the Yinka Dene Alliance is donating the remainder of the money we raised in our Northern Gateway battle to the Pull Together fundraising campaign for First Nations challenging the federal approval of Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain project in court. It is also why I recently travelled to the Coast Salish territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh (in Vancouver) to speak at an event supporting the Pull Together fundraising campaign.

In 2012, as Chief of the Saik'uz Nation, I stood with other Chiefs from the Yinka Dene Alliance in Whey-ah-Wichen (Cates Park, North Vancouver) as the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and the Squamish Nation signed the Save the Fraser Declaration. The Declaration, which the Yinka Dene Alliance launched in 2010, is an expression by First Nations that, under our own laws, we have prohibited the construction of tar sands megaprojects in our territories.

Since then -- with developments like the Supreme Court of Canada's 2014 decision recognizing the Tsilhqot'in Nation's title and management authority in its territories -- Canadian law is evolving more and more to recognize what we have always known: indigenous laws are law, and indigenous governance cannot be ignored. The Save the Fraser Declaration is an important affirmation of our own jurisdiction as indigenous peoples to protect our territories from unacceptable risks.

The Save the Fraser Declaration is also a statement of mutual support among the First Nations that have signed it. So even though Northern Gateway no longer threatens Yinka Dene territories, I know that our work is not over.

Ultimately, the fight against Northern Gateway and Trans Mountain are the same.

Our work is not over because the risks posed by projects like Trans Mountain to the water and salmon are risks borne by everyone, since the water connects us all. Our work is not over because there can be no nation-to-nation relationships as long as federal and provincial governments continue to make decisions without recognizing the jurisdiction and laws of indigenous peoples.

Our work is not over because countless First Nations, local governments and individuals impacted by Trans Mountain supported us in our fight against Northern Gateway, and we must continue to show our gratitude and support for them.

Over the years, we stood together against Enbridge with many others. When members of the Yinka Dene Alliance and other First Nations launched legal challenges against the federal approval of Northern Gateway in 2014, people across British Columbia and Canada raised over $600,000 for our court cases through the Pull Together fundraising initiative. This kind of unity and support was critical in defeating Northern Gateway.

Now Pull Together has launched a new campaign to raise funds for First Nations' legal battles against Trans Mountain, and it's our turn to show our support. While the Yinka Dene Alliance's contribution to the Pull Together initiative is just a fraction of the cost of a legal challenge, we hope that it encourages others to do what they can to support First Nations that are protecting their territories from the risks of Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain project.

Ultimately, the fight against Northern Gateway and Trans Mountain are the same. They are about standing up for a future where the laws and jurisdiction of indigenous peoples are respected, and where we care for the earth in the same way that we care for our family.

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'No Enbridge' Rally, May 2014

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More than 1,000 people gathered at Sunset Beach in Vancouver on May 10, 2014 to protest the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Vancouver Observer Facebook)

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Donna Morgan holds a stuffed polar bear painted black to simulate oil during a protest against the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline in Vancouver on May 10, 2014. (credit:Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

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More than 1,000 people gathered at Sunset Beach in Vancouver on May 10, 2014 to protest the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Ben West)

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Tsleil-Waututh Elder Amy George (right) speaks to the crowd. (credit:Vancouver Observer Facebook)

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Joan Lemmers, of Lions Bay, B.C., wears a salmon hat during a protest against the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline in Vancouver May 10, 2014. (credit:Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

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More than 1,000 people gathered at Sunset Beach in Vancouver on May 10, 2014 to protest the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Ben West)

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"Ethical Oil" author and Sun TV broadcaster Ezra Levant covered the event. (credit:Vancouver Observer Facebook)

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People hold signs during a protest against the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline in Vancouver May 10, 2014. (credit:Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

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Crystal Dixon was part of the No Enbridge rally. (credit:Vancouver Observer Facebook)

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More than 1,000 people gathered at Sunset Beach in Vancouver on May 10, 2014 to protest the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Ben West)

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Vancouver city councillor Andrea Reimer speaks to the crowd. (credit:Vancouver Observer Facebook)

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More than 1,000 people gathered at Sunset Beach in Vancouver on May 10, 2014 to protest the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Vancouver Observer Facebook)

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Sisters Maria and Audrey Siegel from Musqueam Indian Band attend the No Enbridge rally. (credit:Vancouver Observer Facebook)

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More than 1,000 people gathered at Sunset Beach in Vancouver on May 10, 2014 to protest the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Ben West)

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Ben West (right) of ForestEthics, which organized the rally, speaks to the crowd. (credit:Vancouver Observer Facebook)

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More than 1,000 people gathered at Sunset Beach in Vancouver on May 10, 2014 to protest the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Vancouver Observer Facebook)

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Patrick Meder, and Bruce Stout of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association attend the No Enbridge rally. (credit:Vancouver Observer Facebook)

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More than 1,000 people gathered at Sunset Beach in Vancouver on May 10, 2014 to protest the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Ben West)

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Ben West (right) of ForestEthics, which organized the rally, takes a selfie break. (credit:Ben West)

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More than 1,000 people gathered at Sunset Beach in Vancouver on May 10, 2014 to protest the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Ben West)

"No Enbridge" Rally(21 of74)

Thousands gathered in downtown Vancouver on Nov. 16, 2013 to protest Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Jesse Ferreras)

"No Enbridge" Rally(22 of74)

Thousands gathered in downtown Vancouver on Nov. 16, 2013 to protest Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Jesse Ferreras)

"No Enbridge" Rally(23 of74)

Thousands gathered in downtown Vancouver on Nov. 16, 2013 to protest Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Jesse Ferreras)

"No Enbridge" Rally(24 of74)

Thousands gathered in downtown Vancouver on Nov. 16, 2013 to protest Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Jesse Ferreras)

"No Enbridge" Rally(25 of74)

Thousands gathered in downtown Vancouver on Nov. 16, 2013 to protest Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Jesse Ferreras)

"No Enbridge" Rally(26 of74)

Thousands gathered in downtown Vancouver on Nov. 16, 2013 to protest Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Jesse Ferreras)

"No Enbridge" Rally(27 of74)

Thousands gathered in downtown Vancouver on Nov. 16, 2013 to protest Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Jesse Ferreras)

"No Enbridge" Rally(28 of74)

Thousands gathered in downtown Vancouver on Nov. 16, 2013 to protest Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Jesse Ferreras)

"No Enbridge" Rally(29 of74)

Thousands gathered in downtown Vancouver on Nov. 16, 2013 to protest Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Jesse Ferreras)

"No Enbridge" Rally(30 of74)

Thousands gathered in downtown Vancouver on Nov. 16, 2013 to protest Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline project. (credit:Jesse Ferreras)

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Syncrude's Mildred Lake Upgrader, part of The Syncrude Project complex for oil sands processing, is pictured Monday, March 8, 2006 in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. (credit:Getty)

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The Syncrude oil sands extraction facility is reflected in a lake reclaimed from an old mine near the town of Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada on October 22, 2009. (credit:Getty)

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A disused mining machine on display in front of the Syncrude oil sands extraction facility near the town of Fort McMurray in Alberta on October 22, 2009. (credit:Getty)

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The Suncor oilsands operation uses trucks that are 3 stories tall, weigh one million pounds, and cost 7 million dollars each. (credit:Getty)

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Oil sits on the surface at a Suncor Energy Inc. oilsands mining operation near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2013. Photographer: (credit:Getty)

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A large oil refinery along the Athabasca River in Alberta's Oilsands. Fort McMurray, Alberta. (credit:Getty)

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Oils mixes with water at a tailings pond at a Suncor Energy Inc. oilsands mining operation near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2013. (credit:Getty)

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Fort McMurray is in the heart of the world's biggest single oil deposit - the Athabasca Oil Sands, and the oil is extracted by surface mining and refined in the region. The oil production is at the heart of the economy. (credit:Getty)

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In this Aug. 5, 2005 file photo, the Syncrude upgrader spreads out towards the horizon at the company's oil sands project in Ft. McMurray, Alberta, Canada. (credit:AP)

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This Tuesday, July 10, 2012 aerial photo shows a Nexen oil sands facility near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. (credit:AP)

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This Sept. 19, 2011 aerial photo shows an oilsands facility near Fort McMurray, in Alberta, Canada. (credit:AP)

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This Sept. 19, 2011 aerial photo shows an oilsands tailings pond at a mine facility near Fort McMurray, in Alberta, Canada. (credit:AP)

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This Sept. 19, 2011 aerial photo shows an oilsands tailings pond at a mine facility near Fort McMurray, in Alberta, Canada. (credit:AP)

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The Syncrude extraction facility in the northern Alberta oil sand fields is reflected in the pool of water being recycled for re-use. (credit:Getty Images)

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A night view of the Syncrude oil sands extraction facility near the town of Fort McMurray in Alberta Province, Canada on October 22, 2009. (credit:Getty)

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Aerial view of a lake and forests in the vicinity of oil sands extraction facilities near the town of Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada on October 23, 2009. (credit:Getty)

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Workers use heavy machinery in the tailings pond at the Syncrude oil sands extraction facility near the town of Fort McMurray in Alberta , Canada on October 25, 2009. (credit:Getty)

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Fort McMurray is in the heart of the world's biggest single oil deposit - the Athabasca Oil Sands, and the oil is extracted by surface mining and refined in the region. The oil production is at the heart of the economy. (credit:Getty)

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A large oil refinery in Alberta's Oilsands project. Fort McMurray, Alberta. (credit:Getty)

CFB Cold Lake, CNRL(50 of74)

A bitumen leak was reported at a Canadian Natural Resources oilsands operation in the weapons range part of the RCAF base in June 2013. (credit:WikiMedia:)

CFB Cold Lake, CNRL(51 of74)

Company officials said the leak - at what it calls its Primrose operation - was caused by faulty machinery at one of the wells, affected an area of approximately 13.5 hectares and released as much as 3,200 litres of bitumen each day. (credit:Getty)

CFB Cold Lake, CNRL(52 of74)

Preliminary tallies put the death toll from the leak at 16 birds, seven small mammals and 38 amphibians. Dozen were rescued and taken to an Edmonton centre for rehabilitation. (credit:Shutterstock)

CFB Cold Lake(53 of74)

As of early August 2013, more than 1.1 million litres of bitumen had been pulled from marshlands, bushes and waterways. (credit:Getty)

CFB Cold Lake, CNRL(54 of74)

Although CNRL could not say when the leak may finally be stopped, it estimates it will likely cost more than $40 million to clean up. (credit:Getty)

Plains Midstream(55 of74)

Little Buffalo band member Melina Laboucan-Massimo scoops up July 13, 2012 what appears to oil from the pond shoreline near the site of a 4.5 million-litre Plains Midstream pipeline leak detected April 29, 2011. Photos taken at the site and released by Greenpeace of Alberta's second-worst pipeline spill suggest at least part of the site remains heavily contaminated despite company suggestions that the cleanup is complete. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Greenpeace-Joe Whittle)

Plains Midstream Canada(56 of74)

A boat passes by a boom stretching out to contain a pipeline leak on the Gleniffer reservoir near Innisfail, Alta., Tuesday, June 12, 2012. Plains Midstream Canada says one of their non-functioning pipelines leaked between 1,000-3,000 barrels of sour crude near Sundre, Alberta, on June 7 and flowed downstream in the Red Deer river to the reservoir. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Plains Midstream Canada(57 of74)

Debris pushes up against a boom as it stretches out to contain a pipeline leak on the Gleniffer reservoir near Innisfail, Alta., Tuesday, June 12, 2012. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Plains Midstream Canada(58 of74)

A boom stretches out to contain a pipeline leak on the Gleniffer reservoir near Innisfail, Alta., Tuesday, June 12, 2012. Plains Midstream Canada says one of their non-functioning pipelines leaked between 1,000-3,000 barrels of sour crude near Sundre, Alberta, on June 7 and flowed downstream in the Red Deer river to the reservoir. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Plains Midstream(59 of74)

A boom stretches out to contain a pipeline leak on the Gleniffer reservoir near Innisfail, Alta., Tuesday, June 12, 2012. Plains Midstream Canada says one of their non-functioning pipelines leaked between 1,000-3,000 barrels of sour crude near Sundre, Alberta, on June 7 and flowed downstream in the Red Deer river to the reservoir. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Plains Midstream Canada(60 of74)

A photographer snaps a boom stretching out to contain a pipeline leak on the Gleniffer reservoir near Innisfail, Alta., Tuesday, June 12, 2012. Plains Midstream Canada says one of their non-functioning pipelines leaked between 1,000-3,000 barrels of sour crude near Sundre, Alberta, on June 7 and flowed downstream in the Red Deer river to the reservoir. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Plains Midstream Canada(61 of74)

A boom stretches out to contain a pipeline leak on the Gleniffer reservoir near Innisfail, Alta., Tuesday, June 12, 2012. Plains Midstream Canada says one of their non-functioning pipelines leaked between 1,000-3,000 barrels of sour crude near Sundre, Alberta, on June 7 and flowed downstream in the Red Deer river to the reservoir. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Plains Midstream Canada(62 of74)

A worker slows traffic while a boom stretches out to contain a pipeline leak on the Gleniffer reservoir near Innisfail, Alta., Tuesday, June 12, 2012. Plains Midstream Canada says one of their non-functioning pipelines leaked between 1,000-3,000 barrels of sour crude near Sundre, Alberta, on June 7 and flowed downstream in the Red Deer river to the reservoir. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Plains Midstream Canada(63 of74)

A no swimming sign along the banks of the Gleniffer reservoir while a boom stretches out to contain a pipeline leak on the lake near Innisfail, Alta., Friday, June 12, 2012. Plains Midstream Canada says one of their non-functioning pipelines leaked between 1,000-3,000 barrels of sour crude near Sundre, Alberta, on June 7 and flowed downstream in the Red Deer river to the reservoir. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Plains Midstream Canada(64 of74)

Oil from a pipeline leak coats a pond near Sundre, Alta., Friday, June 8, 2012. Plains Midstream Canada says one of their non-functioning pipeline leaked between 1,000-3,000 barrels of oil. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Plains Midstream Canada(65 of74)

Oil from a pipeline leak coats a pond near Sundre, Alta., Friday, June 8, 2012. Plains Midstream Canada says one of their non-functioning pipeline leaked between 1,000-3,000 barrels of oil. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Plains Midstream Canada(66 of74)

Oil from a pipeline leak coats a pond near Sundre, Alta., Friday, June 8, 2012. Plains Midstream Canada says one of their non-functioning pipeline leaked between 1,000-3,000 barrels of oil. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Plains Midstream Canada(67 of74)

Tracks pass through oil on the banks of the Gleniffer reservoir after a pipeline leak near Sundre, Alta., on Friday, June 8, 2012. Plains Midstream Canada says one of their non-functioning pipelines leaked between 1,000-3,000 barrels of oil. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Enbrige's Athabasca pipeline(68 of74)

Approximately 1,450 barrels of oil spilled from a pumping station along Enbridge’s Athabasca pipeline in June 2012.The spill occurred approximately 24 kilometres from Elk Point, Alta., a village located 200 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. (credit:(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Larry MacDougal))

Lake Wabamun(69 of74)

Wreckage from the August 3rd train derailment and subsequent oil spill is seen lining the shore of Lake Wabamun on Monday, August 8, 2005, as clean-up continues. (credit:(CP PHOTO - Tim Smith))

Lake Wabamun(70 of74)

Wreckage and black oil from the August 3rd train derailment and subsequent oil spill are seen lining the shore and waters of Lake Wabamun on Monday, August 8, 2005, as clean-up continues. (credit:(CP PHOTO - Tim Smith))

Lake Wabamun(71 of74)

White absorbent boom is seen lining the shores of Lake Wabamun, Alberta, as the clean-up effort from the August 3rd train derailment and subsequent oil spill continues on Monday, August 8, 2005. (credit:(CP PHOTO - Tim Smith))

Lake Wabamun(72 of74)

Wreckage and black oil from the August 3rd train derailment and subsequent oil spill are seen lining the shore and waters of Lake Wabamun on Monday, August 8, 2005, as clean-up continues. (credit:(CP PHOTO - Tim Smith))

Lake Wabamun(73 of74)

Wreckage and black oil from the August 3rd train derailment and subsequent oil spill are seen lining the shore and waters of Lake Wabamun on Monday, August 8, 2005, as clean-up continues. Lake Wabamun was severely polluted when a train carrying heavy oil derailed on August 3, 2005, spilling much of it's load into the lake. (credit:(CP PHOTO - Tim Smith))

Lake Wabamun(74 of74)

Rail cars leak bunker fuel oil, meters from summer homes bordering Lake Wabamun, after a freight train derailed, in this August 3, 2005 file photo, near the town of Wabamun, Alta. Canadian National Railway faces an environmental charge stemming from the train derailment and oil spill at a popular Alberta lake last summer. (credit:(CP PICTURE ARCHIVE/ John Ulan))

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