Turning the Tide

Despite its rich natural resources, diverse climate and environments, Canada, a settler colonial state, maintains some of the worst environmental policies in the industrialized world. Canada continues to report shameful emissions per capital, development of renewable energy, and international climate policy. Extraction from the land, in the form of the tar sands, logging and mass deforestation, continues to put private profits ahead of public interest, health, safety and sustainability.

Most often, these resources are extracted close to Indigenous communities, on contested land. These communities are disproportionately affected by short- and long-term environmental devastation and pollution, with very real health and community consequences. As groups continue to resist, they are denied access to basic resources such as clean water.

Groups such as Free Grassy, Tar Sands Blockade, Pipe Up Against Enbridge and Environmental Defence are few of many groups working to stop the corporate colonialism that is destroying this land and its people. Indigenous peoples, community organizers and activists are organizing to resist the pipe lines, stop the tar sands, undermine the logging corporations, and ensure that we take care of the land that takes care of us.