What was the Wet'suwet'en pipeline conflict of 2020?

The Wet'suwet'en pipeline conflict was a 2020 conflict over the construction of the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline through Wet'suwet'en First Nation traditional territory in British Columbia. Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs opposed the pipeline despite support from elected band councils, leading to Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) enforcement raids on Wet'suwet'en blockades and solidarity blockades and protests across Canada in February 2020. The conflict highlighted ongoing tensions between elected Indian Act band councils and traditional Indigenous governance structures, and raised constitutional questions about Aboriginal title and free, prior, and informed consent.

The Wet'suwet'en Nation occupies about 22,000 square kilometres of north-central British Columbia, never extinguished by treaty. The 1997 Delgamuukw v. British Columbia Supreme Court of Canada decision had recognised Wet'suwet'en (and Gitxsan) Aboriginal title in principle, though no specific boundary had been set. The Coastal GasLink pipeline (a 670-kilometre natural gas pipeline being built by TC Energy from northeastern BC to the LNG Canada terminal at Kitimat) was approved by the BC government in 2014 and construction began in 2018. The 20 elected band councils along the route (including 5 Wet'suwet'en band councils) had signed agreements with the company.

The Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs (the Office of the Wet'suwet'en, representing the traditional governance structure of the five Wet'suwet'en clans) opposed the pipeline on the grounds that elected band councils had no authority over Wet'suwet'en traditional territories outside the small reserve boundaries. The hereditary chiefs argued that Aboriginal title remained with the traditional governance structure and that genuine consent required their approval. Pipeline opposition included checkpoints established at Unist'ot'en Camp and other locations along the route from 2010 onward.

The conflict escalated in early 2020. On February 6, 2020, the RCMP enforced a court injunction by raiding the Unist'ot'en Camp blockade and arresting land defenders. The RCMP raid produced rapid solidarity protests across Canada. Mohawk people of Tyendinaga in Ontario blocked the CN Rail line from February 6 to 24, 2020 (halting passenger and freight service from Toronto to Montreal). Indigenous and non-Indigenous protesters blocked rail lines, ports, and highways across Canada. The federal Liberal government mediation produced a Memorandum of Understanding (signed May 14, 2020) that recognised Wet'suwet'en hereditary rights and title and established a framework for future negotiations, though pipeline construction continued. Coastal GasLink completed construction in October 2023 and the pipeline entered service in 2024. The conflict underscored continuing tensions between federal-provincial economic development and Indigenous title and consent.