{"id":63343,"date":"2020-07-02T11:15:02","date_gmt":"2020-07-02T15:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/?p=63343"},"modified":"2020-07-02T11:15:02","modified_gmt":"2020-07-02T15:15:02","slug":"supreme-court-dismisses-first-nations-challenge-against-trans-mountain-pipeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/canada\/supreme-court-dismisses-first-nations-challenge-against-trans-mountain-pipeline\/","title":{"rendered":"Supreme Court dismisses First Nations’ challenge against Trans Mountain pipeline"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Supreme Court of Canada will not allow an appeal from a group of\u00a0First Nations in B.C. looking\u00a0to challenge the federal government’s second approval of the Trans Mountain\u00a0pipeline\u00a0expansion project.<\/p>\n
The country’s top court dismissed an application from the Squamish Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Ts’elxweyeqw Tribes and\u00a0Coldwater\u00a0Indian Band on Thursday.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
As there is no higher court in Canada, the\u00a0decision\u00a0brings an end to the groups’ years-long legal challenge.<\/p>\n
The First Nations\u00a0were seeking leave\u00a0to appeal\u00a0a February\u00a0decision by the Federal Court of Appeal\u00a0that\u00a0found cabinet’s approval of the\u00a0pipeline\u00a0project in June 2019 was reasonable under the law.<\/p>\n
The court did not release reasons for its decision Thursday, as is custom.<\/p>\n
Tsleil-Waututh Chief Leah George-Wilson and Syeta’xtn (Chris Lewis) of the Squamish Nation will be hosting a virtual news conference later Thursday.<\/p>\n
In a video news conference in April,\u00a0Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish leaders said\u00a0they were\u00a0challenging the adequacy of Indigenous consultation\u00a0leading up to the second approval of the\u00a0project.<\/p>\n
George-Wilson said the Appeal Court’s decision earlier this year represented\u00a0a setback for reconciliation.<\/p>\n
“If unchallenged, it could change the way consultation and consultation cases happen in Canada, making it less meaningful for protecting our inherent constitutionally protected Aboriginal rights,” George-Wilson said.<\/p>\n
The decision relied on a finding that cabinet’s determination of its own consultation process was adequate, and the First Nations argue the decision should have been made at arm’s length, she said.<\/p>\n