The Haisla First Nation – a major player in B.C.’s nascent liquefied natural gas industry and Northern Gateway pipeline proposal – has quit the Coastal First Nations (CFN) alliance over a difference of opinion on the LNG industry.
But its withdrawal from the CFN – a vocal opponent of the Northern Gateway pipeline – does not mean the Haisla has softened its opposition to the pipeline project, as has been suggested, Haisla chief councillor Ellis Ross told Business in Vancouver.
“It was about them speaking on behalf of Haisla issues when they really didn’t have the authority to speak on our issues,” Ross said.
The Haisla are key players for both the LNG industry and the Northern Gateway project, because Kitimat – Haisla territory – would be the shipping port for both LNG and crude oil exports.
The Haisla are strong supporters of LNG and a partner in the BC LNG proposal. But Ross has made it clear in the past that, so far, his people have heard nothing from Enbridge (TSX:ENB) that would convince his people to support its $6 billion pipeline proposal.
When asked recently if there was anything that could persuade the Haisla to support the pipeline, Ross told the Globe and Mail: “Can we be persuaded? I don’t know. I really don’t know. You’re really looking in a crystal ball now if you want that question answered.”
Ross has also met twice with federal resources minister Joe Oliver. It has been suggested that this comments and his meetings with Oliver mark a softening in the Haisla’s position on Northern Gateway – something Ross categorically denied.
“I don’t understand how they tied that into me softening on Enbridge,” Ross said. “Of course Joe Oliver’s going to come in and talk about exports to Asia, but we’ve been adamant that we’ll talk about that, but we’re only going to talk in the context of natural gas.”
The Haisla are at odds with the CFN over discussions on how to power the gas liquefaction process. The B.C. government has changed its carbon neutrality policies to allow for natural gas to be burned to create power for the LNG industry.
One CFN member, the Gitga’at First Nation, has expressed concerns about pollution coming from Kitimat LNG plants.
Both the Gitga’at and CFN have publicly questioned the use of gas to produce LNG – something the Haisla First Nation, as a CFN member, takes issue with, prompting it to distance itself from the organization.
“They said they couldn’t support natural gas being used for energy for the power projects, and what we were trying to say is it’s too early to say anything like that,” Ross said.
