Pressure continues to build on Trudeau to reject Kinder Morgan pipeline as UN climate talks enter second week
London, UK – This morning concerned citizens from England and Canada staged a solidarity sit-in on the front steps of Canada House in London, demanding that the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reject the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion, which would transport oil from Alberta’s tar sands for export off the west coast of Canada.
“Prime Minister Trudeau needs to show real leadership on climate and reject the Kinder Morgan Pipeline.” said Bronwen Tucker, a student and member of the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition currently studying abroad in the UK. “The science is clear, Canada can’t meet the commitments we made Paris and approve pipelines.”
Around a dozen people participated in the action, which marks the first anti-tar sands action to happen outside of North America since the election of Justin Trudeau in 2015. A video from the action can be seen here.
“To those of us watching from the UK, Trudeau’s action on climate, pipelines and Indigenous rights is looking at lot like Stephen Harper’s – which is to say, not very good,” said Suzanne Dhaliwal, director of the UK Tar Sands Network. “The world is looking to Canada right now to be a leader on climate and Indigenous rights, and that can’t happen if Trudeau approves this pipeline.”
As the decision date on Kinder Morgan draws closer, pressure is expected to increase on the Trudeau government, particularly on issues of Indigenous rights and climate change in the wake of Donald Trump’s election in the United States.
“With President-Elect Trump, the world will be looking first and foremost at Canada, their closest neighbour, to stand up for the climate and human rights, especially Indigenous rights,” explained Clayton Thomas-Muller, Stop-it-at-the-Source campaigner with 350.org. “If the Prime Minister approves pipelines like Kinder Morgan, he’ll be complicit in Trump’s climate denial.”
Today marks the start of week 2 of the United Nations climate negotiations in Morocco, and follows weeks of protest in Canada over the proposed pipeline expansion. Cross-Canada vigils against Kinder Morgan are being planned in more than 20 communities for November 21st.
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Contacts:
UK: Suzanne Dhaliwal, London, UK Tar Sands Network +447772694327
Canada: Cam Fenton, 604-369-2155, [email protected]