VANCOUVER 鈥� The Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n hereditary clan chiefs and their supporters want a public investigation into the way the RCMP are controlling access along a rural road in northern sa国际传媒
The RCMP have said they set up a checkpoint along the Morice West Forest Service Road south of Houston in order to prevent a dispute over the Coastal GasLink pipeline from escalating after patrol officers discovered hazards along the road.
But the chiefs, along with the sa国际传媒 Civil Liberties Association and the Union of sa国际传媒 Indian Chiefs, allege the Mounties are unlawfully restricting access on Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n traditional territory.
鈥淲e cannot be criminalized for using our law to access our lands, our foods, our medicine, our way of life,鈥� said Chief Na鈥檓oks, who dialled in to a news conference in Vancouver on Thursday.
The coalition has submitted a complaint to the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP, asking the chairperson to initiate a policy complaint and public interest investigation.
Harsha Walia, executive director of the civil liberties association, said the application of the RCMP鈥檚 enforcement at the checkpoint has been 鈥渋nconsistent, arbitrary and discriminatory.鈥�
Walia said the coalition has submitted eight first-hand accounts from people turned away as part of the complaint. Some were told only lawyers licensed to practise in sa国际传媒 would be allowed through, or only hereditary chiefs on a pre-approved list.
鈥淩CMP officers at the checkpoint have cited a range of inconsistent and shifting policies and procedures to those who are turned away,鈥� she told the news conference. 鈥淢ost of these do not in any way correlate to the stated goal of public safety.鈥�
Officers check and record the identification of each person who arrives at the checkpoint, she said.
Irina Ceric, a non-practising lawyer who tried to visit supporters at a camp beyond the checkpoint, said she was turned away one day because she didn鈥檛 have a two-way radio and tire chains, but she was allowed through the next day with no questions from a different officer about equipment.
The sa国际传媒 Supreme Court granted Coastal GasLink an injunction on Dec. 31. The order called for the removal of any obstructions including cabins and gates on any roads, bridges or work sites the company has been authorized to use.
It also gives authorization to the RCMP to arrest and remove anyone police have 鈥渞easonable or probable grounds鈥� to believe has knowledge of the order and is contravening it.
No one from the RCMP was available for an interview Thursday, but spokeswoman Janelle Shoihet said in an email that the Mounties have shared their protocol with the hereditary chiefs. 鈥淭he checkpoint was established to address safety concerns relating to the hazards including fallen trees, gasoline caches and tire piles that were intentionally placed along the roadway,鈥� she said.
Officers at the checkpoint are also trying to prevent further escalation of 鈥渢he ongoing breach鈥� of the injunction, Shoihet said. The protocol allows hereditary chiefs, elected chiefs and government officials, lawyers registered to practise law with the Law Society of sa国际传媒, and other persons providing food, medicine or other supplies and services required for the well-being and safety of persons behind the blockades, she said.
The RCMP has made significant efforts to document and record all decisions and interactions at the checkpoint and are fully prepared to participate in any public complaint process, Shoihet said.
The Mounties also support the appointment of former New Democrat MP Nathan Cullen as a provincial liaison tasked with de-escalating the dispute, she said.
鈥淲e support his efforts and hope for resolution or, if none can be found, a co-operative effort toward a safe and peaceful outcome to enforcement,鈥� she said.
Na鈥檓oks said the chiefs continue to meet with RCMP Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Strachan, who has declined multiple interview requests. He said they have been in a holding pattern since Cullen鈥檚 appointment, but alleges that Strachan has called enforcement by the RCMP in the area 鈥渋nevitable.鈥�
鈥淭hey are going to move in again, it is inevitable, is her words,鈥� he said.
