Fact Check: Are B.C. Indigenous chiefs in opposition to new pipelines?

A B.C. advocacy group called the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) released a letter offering blanket opposition to the West Coast pipeline proposal being floated by Premier Danielle Smith and Mark Carney. Legacy media outlets dutifully reported on the letter as if it represented all or a majority of B.C.’s Indigenous chiefs, with headlines such as the CBC’s, “First Nations chiefs in B.C. call on Carney, Smith to halt advancing West Coast pipeline.”

UBCIC is an advocacy group that doesn’t speak for all chiefs. The organization’s self-reporting indicates that fewer than half of B.C. Indigenous bands make up its membership. Of that half, it’s difficult to determine where band leadership lands with the group.

Indigenous bands haven’t been eager to fund the UBCIC as it gets 93% of its funding from taxpayers at the federal and provincial levels of government. Only 7% of the budget comes from dues paid by members.

The group’s primary activities have been to file submissions and grievances with the United Nations. They have filed 13 of them in the last nine years. The UBCIC has an annual budget of roughly $4 million, of which the majority is spent on salaries. Current output is predominantly digital advocacy and policy doblockents, which consist predominantly of news releases and open letters. There appears to be little evidence of information gathering directly from Indigenous bands themselves to compile statements on their behalf.

The UBCIC surely does represent several chiefs, but it can’t be considered an authority on Indigenous views. There are over 200 elected chiefs in B.C., and their views vary. Many bands in B.C. have been very supportive of energy development and pipelines in their areas. Those bands are rarely mentioned by the state broadcaster.

Portraying one lobby group’s letter as an authoritative Indigenous veto misrepresents both the actual diversity of Indigenous economic interests and views. Indigenous views aren’t monolithic, and it’s irresponsible for media outlets to portray them as such.