Gidimt’en Members Say Department of Justice Has Requested a Delay in their Pipeline Route Harassment Lawsuit

Members of the Gidimt’en Clan say the Department of Justice has requested a delay in a lawsuit they filed over the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

One of the five clans of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, the Gidimt’en have been a leading voice in their Hereditary Chiefs’ opposition of the pipeline.

In June, three of the clan’s members, including spokesperson Sleydo’, filed a civil suit in BC’s Supreme Court against the RCMP, Attorney General David Eby, and CGL’s private security contractor, Forsythe.

In the claim, they assert that they have been the victims of months of targetted harassment and intimidation, which they say interferes with their rights to hunt, fish, and practice their culture.

They say that harassment stems from more than 700 visits to their Gidimt’en Checkpoint and Lamprey Creek Village sites over the prior months.

To date, CGL has signed agreements with 20 elected councils along the pipeline route, but the Hereditary Chiefs say that jurisdiction over non-reserve lands lies with them.

You can read the full lawsuit at this link.