Over 100 people were arrested Sept. 26 on Parliament Hill as they protested against a new pipeline connecting Alberta’s oil sands with refineries in the U.S.
One of those arrested was fourth-year public affairs and policy management student Espoir Manirambona.
“The environment always comes first . . . if we don’t take care of the land it won’t take care of us,” said Manirambona, sitting in a long line of protesters who had been arrested.
Police detained only demonstrators who crossed a fence put up between the main field and Parliament’s Centre Block building. At least 300 other protesters beat drums and chanted in support of those facing arrest.
The protest began with speeches from civil society and First Nations leaders who criticized the Conservative government for supporting an industry they see as damaging aboriginal communities and poisoning the environment.
The new pipeline, named the Keystone XL, will ramp up demand for Alberta oil by making it available to more U.S. and international buyers.
The oil industry and the government said the project will create jobs and give the U.S. a reliable source of oil.
In a statement released Sept. 26, the co-founder of Greenpeace said he supported the oil sands.
“I’ve seen the land reclamation process at oil sands sites,” said former leader Patrick Moore in a statement released by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
“It’s a necessary, staggeringly complex process and evidence shows the land will be reclaimed as thriving ecosystems after oil sands are developed to help meet the world’s growing energy needs,” he said.
But others disagree.
Environmentalists and indigenous leaders, on the other hand, said oil spills and waste from separating the tar-like oil from the sand are poisoning the land and its people, pointing to an increase in cancer among people who live in the area.
“We want people to understand that this is happening and it’s affecting people. We need to do something about it,” said Chief Bill Erasmus, an executive member of the Assembly of First Nations from the Dene Nation in the Northwest Territories.
Chief Jackie Thomas, who belongs to the Saik’uz Nation in British Columbia’s interior, told the hundreds of protesters that all Canadians, indigenous or not, need to unite in the fight against environmental destruction.
“We’ll stand up against the pipeline, we will stand up against the tar sands. We stand up against all the companies and ‘yes,’ we will stand up against Ottawa,” she said.
Third-year human rights and law student Sydney Osmar said she wished more Carleton students attended the protest.
“This isn’t an issue that’s just specifically for indigenous peoples . . . it’s going to affect all of us,” she said.
As for Manirambona, he said Carleton students and the administration should join in the environmental movement.
“We need to make sure that we create the future that we want, which is a green, sustainable future,” he said.
