On September 3, 2019, the Federal Court of Appeal tossed out all non-Indigenous cases challenging the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion. The good news is that six First Nations will have their day in court, including the four Nations that are part of the joint RAVEN-Sierra Club BC’s Pull Together campaign. Unconscionably, at the same time, the court dismissed  concerns about threats to orca whale survival and minimized the climate impact of a project that could push us past the tipping point.  

Now, Indigenous Nations alone are holding the ground against the TMX expansion: the court imposed a short and extremely narrow timeline in which to weigh evidence on whether the federal cabinet carried out its duty to consult before it approved TMX in June. More than ever before, we need to get behind these cases so that First Nations have a fighting chance in court. 

Today’s decision “does make the stakes very clear,” says Kai Nagata of Dogwood. “For non-Indigenous allies our last best shot at stopping this thing cleanly is resourcing these legal teams to put in the performance of a lifetime over the next few weeks and months.”

Dogwood BC has generously directed fundraising for the court appeals to the Pull Together campaign. You too can organize, take action and donate to support these critical court appeals: 

We cannot afford to build a tar sands pipeline when the scientific and international communities are declaring a climate emergency.  Supporting Indigenous legal challenges is our best bet to stop TMX. You are part of a mighty force, united by a commitment to support Indigenous Nations as they navigate a litigation process in which, dollar for dollar, they are outspent at least $100 to $1. 

 We are so inspired by what this Pull Together community has accomplished against all odds: your  tenacity, joy and creativity when it comes to defeating Big Oil and corporate projects is igniting online fundraising teams, community organizers and businesses to grab a paddle and pull hard, for justice.   

Click here for an organizer toolkit.

Let’s make this the fall of Pints Not Pipelines. Tea Not Tankers. BBQs Not Bitumen: now, more than ever, we need to show Indigenous Peoples that they are riding a cresting wave: one that will carry us all to victory.