NANAIMO, B.C. – Green Party MP Paul Manly (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) will travel to Wet’suwet’en territory on Sunday morning to meet with Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs protesting the Coastal GasLink pipeline project.
“I am going to listen and to observe the situation on the ground,” said Manly. “I have publicly stated my support for the hereditary chiefs and others who are engaged in non-violent action to protect Wet’suwet’en land. They are in a very challenging and volatile situation, they need to be heard.”
Manly will arrive in the area Sunday morning and stay until Monday evening. On Sunday, Manly and interim BC Green Party leader Adam Olsen MLA will meet with representatives from local RCMP detachments in the towns of Smithers and Houston.
He will be escorted to the camps on Wet’suwet’en territory by Chief Na’Moks (John Ridsdale).
As a longtime documentary filmmaker and advocate for environmental protection, Manly has filmed on the front lines of some notable clashes between police and protestors, including Toronto’s G20 protest. In 2007 his work became national news when he captured footage of three police provocateurs attempting to incite violence at a peaceful protest outside the SPP North American leaders' summit in Montebello, Quebec.
Manly emphasises that as a representative of the Green Party of Canada, his role is quite different. “Non-violence is one of the six core principles of the Green Party of Canada. As the party’s representative I will be there to bear witness, but also to encourage a peaceful and respectful resolution of this situation.
“The purpose of the Coastal Gaslink pipeline is to transport fracked gas for LNG export,” said Manly. “Fracking is a climate disaster. It releases methane, a potent climate change accelerant, throughout every stage of production and transport. The Green Party of Canada has called for a national moratorium on fracking.”
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For more information or to arrange an interview:
John Chenery
[email protected]
1-613-562-4916 ext. 215