COAST SALISH TERRITORY, VANCOUVER, BC (Oct. 1, 2025) – Marilyn Slett, President of Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative, and elected Chief of the Heiltsuk Nation, issued the following statement in response to Premier Danielle Smith’s announcement today of Alberta as the proponent to push a new oil pipeline from Alberta to the BC northwest coast.
As the Rights and Title holders of BC’s North and Central Coast and Haida Gwaii, we must inform Premier Smith once again that there is no support from Coastal First Nations for a pipeline and oil tankers project in our coastal waters.
We, along with the communities and municipalities of the North and Central Coast and Haida Gwaii, have fought to keep crude oil tankers out of our territorial waters for over 50 years. This is not a decision we take lightly; it represents decades of community engagement and consultation.
We participated in years of consultation with the National Energy Board’s Joint Review Panel for the failed Northern Gateway project and the response from our regions was a definitive no. In 2019, Ottawa passed Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, to protect our coastal waters on behalf of all Canadians. Bill C-48 represents how valuable our coast is to all British Columbians, and we, along with the province, remain committed to keeping it in place.
Premier Smith’s continued talk of oil pipelines and tankers, and the risk of a catastrophic oil spill in BC’s coastal waters, is not nation-building. In fact, it risks the goodwill and support of First Nations for more realistic and economically valuable nation-building projects in BC and beyond.
We support BC Premier David Eby’s assertion that this is not a real project and ask Premier Smith and any would-be proponents to understand the following:
- We remain opposed to any project or proponent that would bring crude oil tankers into our territories.
- We remain committed to upholding Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, to safeguard our coast in the national interest of all Canadians.
- Coastal First Nations support nation-building projects that are built in true partnership with First Nations and the province of BC and contribute to the health and prosperity of all Canadians.
For over 25 years, Coastal First Nations has built an incredibly successful coastal economy with the natural capital that sustains all British Columbians. We have created thousands of jobs and hundreds of businesses that support a sustainable economy while protecting our coast.
Our Nations understand the economic challenges Canada is facing, which is why we support major projects that are built in partnership with Indigenous peoples, that grow and sustain our natural capital, create jobs that support our communities, foster resiliency, and build Canada’s national security in times of economic uncertainty.
Northwest BC already represents 40 percent of the current, shovel-ready major projects, and Premier David Eby has been clear that he respects that oil tankers in our territories are a red line for our Nations.
He has asked Premier Smith to stop pushing this non-existent project as it threatens the economy we have built and continue to build, and we respectfully ask that Premier Smith remain in her own jurisdiction: the province of Alberta.
About Coastal First Nations
For 25 years, Coastal First Nations has focused on building a sustainable conservation economy, delivering over 1300 jobs and 130 new businesses on the coast, all while protecting and enhancing the marine environment for future generations.
For interviews and media contact:
Caitlin Thompson, Director of Communications, Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative
cthompson@coastalfirstnations.ca
Cell: 250-305-8756
