VANCOUVER—One of the B.C. First Nations whose legal battle helped halt the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in its tracks last year is vowing a fresh court challenge in the wake of the federal government’s decision Tuesday to restart the controversial project.

It’s a warning from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation that by once again approving the controversial pipeline expansion, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government is choosing to do battle with Indigenous communities.

The sentiment from Leah George-Wilson, chief of Tsleil-Waututh Nation, was part of a chorus of condemnation that rang out Tuesday from B.C.’s coast — the heart of Canada’s anti-pipeline movement.

“We will be appealing this decision to the Federal Court of Appeal. We believe the consultation missed the mark set by the federal court of Canada,” said George-Wilson.

Last summer, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and others won a major court case that forced federal authorities to reconsider the environmental risks of the increased tanker traffic associated with the pipeline project and undertake further consultation with Indigenous communities.

Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart said Tuesday he once told Trudeau “there would be hell to pay” if the feds forced the pipeline through First Nations territory — Stewart said he stands by that statement today.

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“This city remains opposed to this project and I commit to doing everything in our power to fight this,” he said at a news conference held on Musqueam territory Tuesday afternoon.

Stewart added the City of Vancouver will serve as an intervenor “wherever this case is going.”

In Burnaby, where the pipeline ends, Mayor Mike Hurley, reiterated his opposition to the project.

He said his city would serve as an intervenor in the B.C. reference case regarding the province’s right to regulate oil flowing from Alberta to the Pacific coast. That case is headed to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Ottawa’s decision Tuesday comes the day after the House of Commons passed a symbolic Liberal motion, declaring a “climate emergency” and reaffirming Canada’s commitment to its Paris emissions target.

B.C. Premier John Horgan said in a press conference Tuesday he too was “disappointed” in the decision to green light the project, adding that the federal government’s move to declare a climate emergency Monday does “ring somewhat hollow” given their approval of Trans Mountain.

“I believe it’s my job as the premier of British Columbia to always be vigilant, to protect those things that matter to British Columbians and I will continue to do that,” he said.

“It’s now up to (Environment Minister George Heyman) and I and the Government of British Columbia to make sure as this project proceeds, we have no impacts on our marine life, we have no impact on our natural environment, and we do not put at risk one of the hottest economies in the country.”

Environmental groups were also quick to lambaste Ottawa’s actions.

“The vote in Parliament last night recognizing the climate emergency signalled to us the possibility that the decision today would be to not proceed with expanding fossil fuel infrastructure in Canada,” said Margot Venton, nature director at Ecojustice.

“Obviously that did not happen, which is very disappointing.”

She also said the federal government has a responsibility under the Species At Risk Act to not push an endangered species closer to extinction, making the Trans Mountain project “quite possibly illegal.” Whale scientists have said the pipeline project and the resulting increase in tanker traffic would make it more difficult for the already critically endangered southern resident killer whales to survive.

“The reality is that the government can put Canada on the path to a safe climate future and fulfil its legal responsibility to protect endangered killer whales, or it can push this pipeline through,” Venton said. “It cannot do both.”

The expansion will twin the existing 1,100-kilometre pipeline from the Edmonton area to Burnaby, B.C., and is expected to result in a sevenfold increase in tanker traffic through the Burrard Inlet. It will also create an equivalent of 15,000 construction jobs and 37,000 other jobs each year over 20 years of operation, according to Trans Mountain.

The controversial project has pitted B.C. leaders against their Alberta counterparts as well as the federal government. The two sides disagree about whether the environmental consequences of an oil spill and increased tanker traffic are worth the economic gain from exporting crude oil to international markets.

Immediately after Tuesday’s announcement, Indigenous leaders vowed they would continue to protest the project.

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“No matter who approves it, this pipeline will not be built,” said Will George, a member of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. The expansion project will end at a tanker terminal located in his nation’s territory.

Environmental groups, Indigenous governments and the B.C. government have launched multiple legal challenges to either halt the project or stymie the flow of oil if the pipeline is constructed. Conservationists are alarmed about the pipeline’s potential impact on Fraser River salmon and the endangered southern resident killer whales.

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Canada’s government is also facing international criticism for approving the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. Four Indigenous communities in Washington State issued a joint statement Tuesday, saying Canada’s prime minister had “failed to do the right thing.”

“The orca and salmon know no border, and the risks to indigenous peoples in both Canada and the U.S. also cross borders,” stated Suquamish Tribe Chairman Leonard Forsman in an emailed statement.

Meanwhile, about 50 people attended a pro-pipeline rally in Vancouver on Tuesday afternoon, hosted by the National Coalition of Chiefs, an organization that supports the oil and gas industry and works to address poverty in Indigenous communities.

Shane Gottfriedson, a former chief of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc who attended the rally, said he sees the pipeline as a major opportunity to address poverty in Indigenous communities.

Gottfriedson is the B.C. regional director of the Indigenous-led organization, Project Reconciliation, that is aiming to buy a majority stake in the Trans Mountain pipeline.

“We’re very interested in buying this because we want to change that quality of life issue. Right now we’re the poorest of the poor,” he said.

“You can’t have sovereignty as First Nations without economic sovereignty,” he said.

While Gottfriedson said he supports moving toward more renewable energy, he noted that oil remains a key energy source that supports families across western Canada.

“We have to deal with the cards that we’re dealt right now, and those cards are oil and gas,” he said.

The BC Liberal party applauded the federal government’s decision to approve the pipeline, highlighting more than 40 benefit agreements signed by First Nation communities along the pipeline route.

“Today’s decision will bring jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars to local communities along the pipeline route,” the party said in a news release. “It’s a great day for B.C. and a great day for Canada.”

In May, B.C.’s Court of Appeal ruled the province does not have the jurisdiction to regulate the flow of oil through its territory. The B.C. government filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada last Friday. A hearing date has not yet been set.

Last year, the Federal Court of Appeal quashed the project’s federal approval — a major victory for the pipeline’s opponents. The court said Ottawa’s consultation with First Nations was flawed and that ignoring oil tanker risks was an “unjustified failure.”

In response, the federal government asked the National Energy Board to reconsider the project in light of risks to the marine environment. The federal government also undertook new consultations with First Nations.

In February, the NEB recommended the project move forward, despite the potential for significant environmental harm.

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