VANCOUVER—Dozens of pipeline protesters carried orca-shaped signs and chanted “protect the planet, protect our people,” outside a hotel in downtown Vancouver on Wednesday as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to a fundraising luncheon inside.

After four police officers tackled a man who had apparently tried to stop a vehicle from leaving the hotel, protesters shouted “Shame, shame!” and “Hands off Indigenous people!”

If this scene is any indication, Trudeau and the Liberal party could have an uphill battle ahead of them in British Columbia, as climate change promises to be a driving force for voters in the upcoming federal election.

A strong showing in B.C. helped the Liberals win a majority in 2015 — the Liberals won more seats than the Conservatives, something the party had not done in any of the four elections previous — but experts say the party may not be able to rely on that kind of support come October.

Bronwen and Vic Brice took the 6:30 a.m. ferry from Nanaimo to Vancouver Wednesday to participate in the protest. Once upon a time they voted Liberal but are now staunch Green supporters.

“We used to vote Liberal, when Trudeau ‘pa’ was there,” said Bronwen, 65.

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The Brices said they became disillusioned with Justin Trudeau after the federal government spent $4.5 billion to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline, which carries crude and refined oil from Alberta to the coast of B.C.

“I really feel for the young people” said Bronwen. “We’re running out of time to make change.”

The environment is a wedge issue for voters, said David Coletto, head of Abacus Data, a group of political consultants and strategists.

“(The Liberals) bought a pipeline and they may not seem as committed as some of these people want to some of these more aggressively progressive issues. Whether that be climate change, fighting inequality or fundamentally altering the system,” Coletto said.

Three protesters told Star Vancouver they are also angry at Trudeau for rescinding his promise to scrap the first-past-the-post electoral system.

Even a Vancouver city councillor, Jean Swanson, spoke Wednesday to show her support for the protesters.

But Coletto pointed out Trudeau is still polling well among the so-called cosmopolitan left: urbanites who value diversity, gender equality and action on climate change. But it is unlikely Trudeau can win back the votes from people who put the environment on the top of their priority list, he said.

The Conservatives are currently ahead in the polls, with 42 per cent of decided and leaning voters saying they support the party, according to an April poll by Forum Research. That same poll showed 21 per cent of British Columbians approve of “the job Justin Trudeau is doing as prime minister” and 71 per cent disapprove.

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“The Liberals … in the course of governing and trying to keep the country together, has probably alienated some of those folks in B.C. who wanted the prime minister and the Liberals to be more environmentally committed,” said Coletto.

“It’s hard to do when you’re trying to look out for the interest of both B.C. and Alberta as a national government.”

Few people understand that divide between Albertans and British Columbians better than Slade Delaney, who grew up on Blood Reserve in Southern Alberta, where many people support oil development.

The 18-year-old Kainai Nation member participated in Wednesday’s protest, saying the decision was spurred by his recent experience moving to Burnaby, where the Trans Mountain pipeline ends.

“I wouldn’t want oils to be leaking through the mountains or anywhere across Canada because that stuff is hard to clean up,” said Delaney, standing at the entrance of the Opus Hotel where Trudeau was speaking.

“If I lived by a pipeline, I wouldn’t want that spewing into my backyard.”

Indigenous people have been front and centre in many of the confrontations over pipelines.

Will George, a community leader from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, bought a ticket to Wednesday’s Liberal party fundraiser and confronted Trudeau directly at the luncheon, demanding to know why the government was willing to push the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion through Indigenous territory on B.C.’s coast.

“I went in and stood up to let Trudeau know: He and his pipeline are not welcome in B.C.,” George told Star Vancouver after the confrontation.

Trudeau’s speech was the first of two Liberal fundraising events in Vancouver after he announced that 18 new ships will be built to renew the Canadian Coast Guard fleet at a cost of $15.7 billion.

He told the audience at the lunchtime event that climate change is a real and pressing issue and Conservative politicians don’t believe it’s important to take action.

“There is unfortunately still a debate going on as to whether or not we should be fighting climate change. That sort of blows my mind,” he said.

George said this is the fifth time he has confronted Trudeau directly at a fundraising event and that he will continue to do so throughout the election campaign.

Correction – May 23, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version to update the graphic. The previous version mistakenly referred to the Conservative Party of Canada as the Progressive Conservatives.

With files from Jesse Winter, Melanie Green and The Canadian Press

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