Opinion: To counter U.S. threats, B.C. must not buy into the ‘drill baby, drill’ mentality at expense of First Nations and climate – Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs
Feb 14, 2025
Some B.C. politicians are using the trade war threat posed by President Donald Trump to push for no-holds-barred resource extraction on First Nations lands.
We support Premier David Eby and his ministers as they develop a robust response to Trump’s erratic and menacing conduct; however, in doing so we urge the province to listen to First Nations communities who were here long before Trump — and know what it takes to survive long after he’s gone.
To be clear, that does not mean listening to and prioritizing those First Nations communities that support fast-tracking natural resource extraction projects in their territories over those who do not.
It means proactively protecting clean water, food security, and community health — even as we act quickly to diversify trade and grow the economy.
