We’ve just learned that the federal Department of Fisheries and Ministry of Transport have issued permits to let Site C construction continue while First Nations legal challenges are still before the courts.

This is a brutal decision to flood First Nations territory and some of the best farmland in the world – but the fight is far from over. The West Moberly and Prophet River First Nations’ appeal goes to court on September 14, and we need to speak up now to hold the Trudeau government accountable to their promise of a renewed relationship with First Nations.
 

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Your call will only take a minute but it will make a huge difference. It’s easy:

1. Read the instructions and key messages below
2. Enter your information to the right, and we’ll connect you directly to your MP’s constituency office
3. Record the results once the call is over

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Instructions:

• Call your MP and leave a message on the answering machine if you reach voicemail. If you speak to office staff, just ask to leave a message for your MP.
• Tell them your name and that you live in the riding. If you’d like a response, leave your phone number.
• Mention that if the Trudeau government is serious about a renewed relationship with First Nations, it is unacceptable for them to issue permits while there’s an outstanding First Nations legal challenge about the Site C dam.

Here’s some more information you could include in your message:

• Treaty 8 First Nations are challenging the Site C dam in the Federal Court of Canada to defend their Treaty rights to hunt, fish, and trap on the lands Site C will destroy.
• It is unjust for the federal government to approve Site C construction permits before the Federal court has ruled on the challenge.
• The government promised a renewed relationship with First Nations in Canada -- one based on rights and respect. Allowing construction on the dam before the courts rule on Treaty 8 First Nations’ legal challenge contradicts these promises.

Background information on Site C:

• Site C is an $8.8 billion dollar project to build a hydroelectric dam in northeastern BC
• Wildlife habitat, sacred sites, and valuable agricultural land will be drowned and lost if the project goes forward. It will also make fishing unsafe for at least a generation.
• BC doesn't need the new energy that Site C would produce, making the project completely unnecessary and a colossal waste of public money.
• Site C violates First Nations treaty rights. The right to fish, trap, and hunt cannot be exercised if the land is drowned, the fish diseased, and the wildlife killed off.
• First Nations, farmers, environmentalists, and local groups are opposing the dam.

The government is already facing massive pressure on this file. Over the last few weeks, 20,479 people signed the petition & 527 people called the Fisheries Minister, calling for a moratorium on federal permits until courts rule on the legal challenge. They announced that they’d approved Site C permits just before a long weekend, hoping we wouldn’t notice, and if we can turn up the pressure now, it could force them to rethink their plans. Will you make a call now?