How ENGOs in British Columbia navigate Indigenous rights and title: A look at the past and a present day case study

The past decade across Turtle Island (North America) has seen a powerful overarching movement I will refer to as pipeline resistance. Environmental and Indigenous groups have been networking and volunteering vast resources to halt the development of oil pipelines that threaten Indigenous lands and waters—areas that Settlers care about too. Through a literature review, I look at how environmental activism, Indigenous rights and litigation have intersected over time—with a specific focus on British Columbia. I explore how environmental activists have treated Indigenous groups in the past and investigate if colonial courts have begun recognizing Indigenous rights more—giving Indigenous Peoples some legal ability to halt problematic projects. Since it has been implied by pipeline advocates that such ability is the only reason environmentalists have been trying to partner with Indigenous Nations in the anti-pipeline fight, my research investigates if these accusations have merit. To analyze how environmentalists navigate collaboration with Indigenous groups in the pipeline resistance movement, I surveyed 16 Settler employees of environmental groups (ENGOs) opposing the Trans Mountain pipeline project expansion (TMX) in BC. Survey participants were asked about their motives, perceptions, views on decolonization and ENGO protocols for engaging with local Indigenous communities. I also drew upon my own experience in the anti-pipeline movement. What I have found is that, while some organizations do attempt to partner with Indigenous groups in the anti-TMX movement for strategic reasons, the collaboration brought on by pipeline resistance appears to be teaching Settler activists about various Indigenous Nations, their rights and title, colonialism and more. This education appears to be far deeper than anything taught in schools and is perhaps fostering a heightened respect for Indigenous Peoples among Settler activists.