Despite more than a decade of fierce resistance and sustained struggles against Coastal GasLink (CGL) and TC Energy—the predecessor to PRGT on unceded Wet'suwet'en territory—the fall of 2022 marked a tragic turning point for the Yintah and the fragile ecosystem that depends on it. The start of construction under the Wedzin Kwa, the sacred river, dealt a heavy blow to defenders of this ancestral Land and to those fighting to preserve the ecological balance of the area. This act of irreversible land and water degradation represents much more than the advancement of industrial projects; it is a direct assault on the culture, traditions, and future of local Indigenous communities. As the ecological crisis deepens and pipeline projects persist, these experiences of resilience and sacrifice compel us to draw important lessons. We must refine our strategies, strengthen our organizational capacities, and amplify our efforts to maximize the impact of our resistance in the face of an ongoing threat. We will provide an overview of the extractive and colonial offensives we face, followed by some ideas to consider for future struggles.
Ecological Disaster: The Case of the Sockeye Salmon
In the fall of 2022, under the watchful eyes of Wet'suwet'en defenders occupying the territory, TC Energy began work beneath the river using a state-of-the-art pipe installation technique. Instead of the usual method of digging a trench, they chose to drive the pipes in with a hydraulic hammer. This technique was touted as being safer for the environment, as it allegedly prevents disturbances to the surface and surrounding ecosystems.
As if ravaging sacred lands wasn’t problematic enough, TC Energy carries out this destruction in the middle of the salmon spawning season, near a population of salmon that spawns downstream from the passage [2]. Historically, the Sockeye salmon species numbered in the millions; however, in recent years, only a few thousand have been counted. This type of work directly impacts the spawning grounds of an endangered species that serves as an essential food source for the Indigenous peoples around the Skeena River, including the Wet’suwet’en. A few years ago, several Nations along the river and its tributaries decided to halt salmon fishing to prevent the population from dwindling to a level where it could no longer reproduce. Meanwhile, commercial fishermen at the mouth of the river, where it meets the Pacific, continue to fiercely fight to preserve unsustainable fishing quotas.
However, what primarily endangers the breeding sites in this case is not domestic fishing, but rather the erosion of sediment from various construction sites supporting the project, including the demand for rapid access during repairs. These particles suffocate fish and eggs by reducing oxygen levels in the water. The consequences of these actions invariably fall on those who were not responsible for the initial damage, perpetuating various systems of oppression.
By November 2023, when TC Energy completed the first phase of the project, making the pipeline operational but not yet at full capacity, the penalties and fines imposed by the provincial government for non-compliance with environmental standards had reached $346,000 [3], rising to $590,000 by September 2024 [4]. These fines were primarily due to the failure to properly manage land erosion, as well as the degradation and destruction of wetlands. These areas provide shelter for beavers and caribou, refuge for birds, and habitats for several species of edible plants used by the Yintah’s Indigenous communities.
These numerous environmental violations result in penalties that are insignificant compared to the federal subsidy for the project, which amounts to around C$200 million [4]. The fines seem even more absurd and ridiculous when you consider that these are companies whose wealth exceeds that of some countries. In the face of such destruction and an insatiable drive for growth, the First Peoples continue to fight these larger-than-life entities largely on their own.
A (Large) Consolation Prize
On a slightly more positive note, the total cost of the project will eventually reach $8.3 billion [6] above initial estimates [7], bringing the overall project cost to over $14 billion [8]. This substantial cost overrun is certainly due, in part, to the various mobilizations and actions taken against the Coastal GasLink (CGL). Among the challenges faced by TC Energy was the nighttime sabotage [9] in winter 2022, which caused millions of dollars in damage to equipment.
True to their capitalist nature, TC Energy refinanced the project by an additional $7.1 billion in June 2024. Refinancing is a technique that, through the sale of bonds to private investors, allows for the deferral of debt payments. Yes, the bad news is that corporations can issue bonds just like governments can, a mechanism that garners significant confidence from a large number of investors (primarily banks and asset management companies), based on the idea of "Too Big To Fail." However, this trust is increasingly under threat. In 2017, TC Energy decided to sell the PRGT project to new owners, signaling waning confidence in the company’s ability to bring a similar project to market.
In this context, enormous damage can be inflicted on the company in various ways, limited only by the imagination of those who carry out these actions. Spectacular direct actions can cause physical damage, but it is also possible to tarnish the company’s reputation or increase pressure on the governments that authorize these projects. To reduce the appeal of Canada's so-called energy resources to international investors, it only takes introducing a healthy dose of risk and instability—along with increasing operating costs.
About Shut Down Canada
In 2020, the militant communities of so-called Canada responded strongly to the Wet'suwet'en call for solidarity, targeting the railroad tracks in an attempt to put the brakes—at least temporarily—on the Canadian economy. The aim was to force the government’s hand by hitting them where it hurts: in the wallet. This was not the first time, nor will it be the last, that such strategies are employed, with varying results. However, any effort at anti-colonial resistance in a capitalist environment will eventually be erased by time, much like a sandcastle washed away by an unexpected tide, which will inevitably come and take us by surprise. A decolonized society can only truly exist when capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, ableism, and other systems of domination cease their hegemonic grip on our lives.
If we find ourselves trapped by expectation and uncertainty, let’s draw inspiration from the courage and tactics of oppressed communities and show solidarity with them. Let’s create sincere bonds of trust based on listening to and respecting their needs.
The goal is to take actions that both hurt the wallets of the powerful and increase popular support for the defenders of the territories. However, resistance to an unjust system cannot be limited to oppositional actions; it must also include prefiguration. In this sense, the Wet'suwet'en example is inspiring, as they show us that it is possible to occupy territory in ways that address the diverse needs of its inhabitants, cultivate egalitarian personal relationships, and create spaces for autonomy and resistance. This is not simply a struggle for more rights within the current system but, above all, for the overthrow of the colonial and genocidal structure of so-called Canada. In this context, solidarity takes on a radical form. It is not merely symbolic but manifests in concrete practices of resistance and prefiguration.
Prefiguring locally, working to build convivial communities free from capitalist, colonial, and oppressive constraints, is a weapon that, on one hand, weakens the power of capital by reducing our dependence on the economic system, and, on the other, frees us to focus our energies on the things that matter to us, while serving as an inspiring example to others who wish to follow our path.
When it comes to resistance, different strategies will have different impacts. Hitting the shapeless blob of capital at random raises awareness, radicalizes the collective imagination, broadens the pool of activists, and strengthens our collective capacity for struggle in the long term. On the other hand, if the goal is to eradicate a colonial capitalist project, it’s better to adopt a precise, even surgical resistance, which targets a particular, defined agent—such as a company and its production chain, a government and its infrastructure, or a bank and its investments. We're dealing with a powerful machine, certainly hegemonic in the present moment, but fragmentable and attackable, piece by piece. Our collective strength will come both from our ability to cast a wide net through decentralized organization and from a multitude of resistances to concrete, more easily deconstructed projects.
In the case of Shut Down Canada in 2020, the rail attack failed to achieve its objective of preventing pipeline construction. The fact that the target of the militant tactics was distant from the enemy, CGL, likely contributed to this failure. It's conceivable that attacks directed more directly at TC Energy and its production line might have had different effects. However, the heavy losses caused by the rail blockade in 2020 should not be minimized. The social movements of recent years have rarely had such an impact on the Canadian economy, largely due to the prolonged rail blockades in Ontario by local Indigenous communities.
In short, whether engaged in building alternatives to capitalism or in resistance, it is difficult to propose such radical change, especially when the risks are high. The forces of the colonial system comfort colonists in their privileges and constantly neutralize their will to push beyond concrete reformist actions. It is important to consider the impact of these choices on the lives of the oppressed, and, in the context of the climate crisis, on the lives of future generations. For non-Indigenous activists, being truly anti-colonial means adopting, within one’s means, a way of life that challenges the current dominant culture and its instruments of control. It’s an arduous path, but a necessary one.
Conclusion
TC Energy's claims of "environmental conservation" and "reconciliation," along with those of our governments, are predictably hollow: they are nothing more than greenwashing and redwashing. Every act of resistance, every strategy of sabotage, and every effort at organizing solidarity aims at weakening this system and its propaganda. At the same time, the strength of resistance lies in our ability to envision another future, far removed from the grip of the economic machine. It is by building autonomous communities that anti-oppressive alternatives can emerge, allowing the tentacles of colonial capitalism to wither away one by one. Thus, the struggle for Indigenous sovereignty and land preservation is not simply a reaction to ongoing oppression; it is an affirmation of a future in which these lands, cultures, and ways of life are not only protected but also respected and nurtured.
References
1. https://unistoten.camp/cgl_damage/
2. http://www.michaelprice.org/uploads/1/0/8/9/108971119/price_etal_2021_portfolio_simplification.pdf
3. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/coastal-gaslink-fines-1.6974895
4. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/coastal-gaslink-fined-590k-1.7322118
5. https://www.nationalobserver.com/2024/07/23/news/feds-loaning-coastal-gaslink-200-million
9. https://mtlcontreinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/BetweenStorms-read.pdf