Trial of Land Defenders Fighting the Coastal GasLink Pipeline is Put on Hold as Canadian Police Come Under Scrutiny for Excessive Force
In January 2024, the trial of three Indigenous land defenders was adjourned until later that year due to excessive force used by law enforcement. They had protested the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline, linking this trial to a twelve-year-long struggle. Citing Canada’s “abuse of process” doctrine, the court determined that the mistreatment they faced during and after their arrests could undermine the legal system. As a result, an “abuse of process” hearing is set to take place in June. The Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs, who have never consented to the pipeline’s construction nor ceded their territory, place their hope in this legal process to end the human rights abuses faced by protesters. Previously, the governments of British Columbia and Canada had been repeatedly rebuked by both the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the U.N. Human Rights Council. Although many Wet’suwet’en villages signed agreements with CGL, these agreements are not valid beyond the boundaries of their reserves, where the pipeline was constructed. This has led to critiques of leadership and authority, raising suspicions about the financial incentives behind these agreements. Research by the Yellowhead Institute later found that while injunctions against First Nations were likely to be granted, injunctions against corporations and the government were overwhelmingly denied.
