What do the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs, Mark Ruffalo and Jane Fonda have in common? All of them know that City National Bank’s parent company, the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), must defund the Coastal GasLink pipeline, divest from all fossil fuels, and respect the rights of Indigenous people.
On March 16, the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs Na’moks and Sleydo’ with Indigenous Climate Action’s Melina Laboucan-Massimo, and 65+ celebrities including Mark Ruffalo, Leonardo DiCaprio, Taika Waititi, and Jane Fonda released a letter to City National Bank and RBC, with these demands.
The Coastal GasLink pipeline is being constructed in northern British Columbia, Canada, through sovereign, unceded Wet’suwet’en territory without the consent of the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs – the rightful titleholders of the land and water that the pipeline crosses. Wet’suwet’en land defenders have been fighting this pipeline for over a decade, and have suffered brutal police violence as a result.
Canada’s #1 fossil fuel bank RBC is also heavily invested in the Alberta tar sands, which produces the dirtiest oil on Earth. Indigenous people have been fighting for the end of the tar sands for decades, and many communities have been devastated by the impacts.
Challenging governments and going up against billion-dollar companies and powerful lobbyists can feel like a daunting task. Heck, we never said that this work was going to be easy. But at Stand.earth, we’re used to making the impossible, possible. I know, it’s cliche. But we dream big because we know that creating a better future for all means standing with frontline communities and consistently fighting for Indigenous rights and sovereignty.
We’re so glad you’re part of this campaign and part of the Stand online community. Our team is fewer than 70 people, but this community is more than 650,000 people strong and growing – and together, we’re using our collective power to fight climate change, protect wild spaces, stand with impacted communities, and say no to new fossil fuels.
Together with allies and following the leadership of Indigenous leaders, I know we can win this fight.
In solidarity,
Sarah Beuhler
Senior Climate Finance Campaigner
Stand.earth
Stand.earth challenges corporations, industries, and governments to prioritize the well-being of people, our environment, and our climate by creating long-term, effective solutions. None of this work is possible without your support.
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