After facing three days of heavy RCMP enforcement, the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs have struck a tentative agreement to allow pipeline workers past their gates.
RCMP began enforcement on Monday of a temporary injunction issued by the BC Supreme Court requesting the removal of a blockade at the Morice River Bridge.
Unist’ot’en land defenders at the camp, set up 10 years ago, had been preventing Coastal GasLink workers looking to build their 670 km pipeline to their lands.
On Monday afternoon RCMP breached the blockade at a Gidimt’en gate ahead of the Unist’ot’en camp and arrested 14 land defenders, sending 13 of them to Prince George court.
Initially RCMP had attempted to broker talks between CGL representatives and the hereditary chiefs, but talks fell through.
Now, out of concerns over safety, the chiefs have reached a tentative agreement with RCMP to allow workers access by 2:00 this afternoon.
Hereditary Chief Na’Moks made it very clear that the deal was with RCMP, not CGL, and that there would be no construction taking place.
Under the deal, RCMP have agreed not to raid the Unist’ot’en camp, nor enter the healing centre without permission.
The deal does not equate to the Nation giving consent for the project to go through, only to ensure the safety of the land defenders.
Negotiations on a final deal are continuing today.
