Commentary
One of the most audacious acts of domestic ecoterrorism ever seen in Canada, while the eyes of the world turned to Ottawa as the Truckers Convoy protests and confrontation between authorities reached a peak. One was for a construction camp in northern BC. Shortly after midnight on February 18, his 20 masked attackers armed with axes attacked staff at a Coastal Gas Link (CGL) site, terrorizing workers and causing millions of dollars in damage. gave.
when RCMP officers tried to respond From Houston, British Columbia, they encountered a blocked road and were attacked with smoke bombs and burning pieces of wood. The story quickly fell off Canadians’ radar as the federal government’s activation of the emergency law dominated the news for weeks.
The attack has been chillingly coordinated and no arrests have been made to date. If the RCMP makes any progress in its investigation, they are tight-lipped about it.
Another extreme attack occurred in Smithers, British Columbia, as emergency law investigations began and the country returned its attention to Ottawa. 4 RCMP vehicles BC Town motel ambulance. It was clearly a targeted attack, as extra police officers were staying in the area to keep the peace and protect the safety of the coastal gas link project workers. It had little impact among his outlets. No arrests have been made.
Whether accidental or deliberate, these dangerous attacks on those associated with the CGL project seem to come at a time when larger national issues divert Canadians’ attention. Because of the coordination and planning involved in these attacks, it’s tempting to assume that timing isn’t a mistake.
That’s not to say things were peaceful between the pair of major violent actions. In July, RCMP officers flocked to protesters who attempted to arrest them near the CGL site. Their vehicles were hit and shaken until reinforcements arrived. When they finally transferred the prisoner to the Houston RCMP detachment, he was released unconditionally.
Protesters against the CGL project have completely lost their fear of the authorities, which is not surprising. For years, they have participated in illegal blockades and vandalism, with virtually impunity. Protesters are regularly arrested, but rarely prosecuted and rarely convicted. They set up unencumbered camps along the CGL route and conducted an ongoing campaign of harassment and blockades of workers. progressing. Opponents of the project have become desperate and have escalated their attacks.
The CGL project has the approval of all 20 Indigenous bands along the track. All official Indigenous Peoples authorities were consulted and an agreement was reached.A very small minority of indigenous activists, supported by environmental activists elsewhere, have refused to accept the deal, and it is clear they will not give up easily. useless Blow up the pipeline as David Suzuki did last year.
The CGL situation is a ticking time bomb and most Canadians don’t even realize it’s happening. If the situation is not dealt with quickly, someone will be seriously injured if not killed. The liquefied natural gas export terminal in Kitimat, British Columbia is nearly complete and will require gas supplied by the CGL line. That pipeline cannot be canceled under any circumstances, and any activist who opposes it is nothing more than a cancellation. They should not be reasoned.
Canadians stare navel at whether it was appropriate to invoke emergency law against Ottawa protesters, or whether education workers are justified in striking illegally in Ontario But British Columbia’s violent activists are entrenched and emboldened by a lack of action from authorities.Will the country accept the deaths and the bombings before it takes this worsening crisis more seriously? ?
Authorities need to tackle the standoff proactively, not reactively. We cannot just sit back and wait for the problem to resolve itself. Arrests need to be made, indictments and convictions need to stick, and some people need to be jailed. Violence will continue unless extreme environmentalists face the consequences of their actions.
A system failure has occurred. Workers and police are put in danger by a government that fears a confrontation with extremists, with no end in sight.The government is obsessed with maintaining public order in Ottawa, but is dangerously blind to disorder in northern BC
Views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Epoch Times.
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Cory Morgan is a Calgary-based columnist.