The Communist Party of BC expresses our profound alarm about recent decisions by the federal and provincial governments to accelerate major resource development, including increased support for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) infrastructure, and an oil pipeline corridor from Alberta to Roberts Bank on the Salish Sea. These announcements come during a summer of rising death tolls from record-smashing heat waves, droughts and flooding, all related to climate change. Every government has been made fully aware of the scientific research proving that GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions which result from the  over two centuries of global imperialist economic expansion are the leading cause of climate change; but while some  governments are taking important steps to avert climate catastrophe, politicians in Canada limit themselves to performative declarations about this deepening crisis, while simultaneously pouring billions of taxpayer dollars into the fossil fuel industry.

We condemn in particular the governments of Canada, Alberta and British Columbia for their latest moves to expand the fossil fuel extraction and export sector. PM Mark Carney, along with BC Premier David Eby and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith claim that these projects will “make Canada stronger” while somehow helping to reduce our overall carbon footprint. But this is totally false. There is no strength to be gained by burdening our children and grandchildren with the huge negative impacts of the global climate crisis – and it remains highly doubtful that these expensive projects will even bring any temporary net economic growth for the Canadian economy. The reality is that these decisions can only result in a net transfer of income and wealth from working people to the shareholders of the big energy monopolies, which will be shielded from losses by Canadian governments. These are the facts deliberately downplayed by Carney and Eby, who hope to gain temporary political relief by allowing Alberta’s pro-US annexationist premier to promote the agenda of the fossil fuel giants.

The Communist Party of BC also extends our full solidarity to Indigenous nations and organizations which remain firmly opposed to the dangerous acceleration of the fossil fuel industry. As many leaders and groups have warned, these projects are in direct contradiction to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which explicitly provides for the right of free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous peoples regarding economic projects on their traditional and inherent territories. Ringing declarations about the “urgency” of “unlocking” the oil and natural gas industry are merely a cover for trampling the rights of Indigenous peoples in the pursuit of corporate profits. Similarly, the hypocritical argument that Canadians must accept the decisions of Mark Carney and David Eby in order to block the reactionary agenda of Pierre Poilievre and Danielle Smith rings totally hollow as their governments follow the same path towards surrender to the energy industry and to the militarist policies which are now being imposed on all the NATO countries.

It is true, as some have pointed out, that the latest announcements by PM Carney reflect the successful efforts by Coastal First Nations and environmental movements to  protect the north coast of BC from the disastrous effects of a new pipeline route. In itself, this is a victory. But the overall impact of the latest announcements goes in a very different direction, undermining Indigenous sovereignty and accelerating overall GHG emissions, at the expense of Canadian taxpayers.

Speaking as a registered provincial political party in British Columbia, we declare our agreement with the words of Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, UBCIC President, when he bluntly warned that “governments remain committed to accelerating fossil fuel development without first addressing the rights and jurisdiction of the First Nations whose territories will be affected, or climate impacts.” As Grand Chief Phillip says, these governments aim to shift the proposed oil export route from British Columbia’s north coast to the south coast while simultaneously increasing public investment in LNG development. The UBCIC is correct that increasing fossil fuel extraction and transmission will increase greenhouse gas emissions and global temperatures, and that the impacts on British Columbians will include more floods and wildfires. We stand with the UBCIC and other Indigenous movements which continue to oppose new pipelines and increased oil tanker traffic. We salute the leadership which secured and continues to defend the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act – their struggle deserves recognition, not politically-driven attempts to work around the inherent and constitutionally protected title and rights of First Nations.