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Chief Martin Louie at Enbridge AGM says company plans to push forward with pipeline: live blog

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They came to his community three years ago, and he asked them date-specific questions. To this day, Enbridge has never answered. He asked for answers today.  
 
11:45 PST: From Canadian Indigineous Tar Sands Organizer Clayton Thomas Muller: "the feeling outside is that the water ceremony brought rain. We're feeling unity and solidarity with the Yinka Dene Alliance. We're going to stay out here until they [Enbridge] come and celebrate victory when they come out those doors"
 
10:30 PST: Saik'uz First Nation Chief Jackie Thomas: "I felt strong the whole way. The support we've gained across the country is awesome...it's just awesome. Enbridge has already started to (respond). I think they're worried. I'm going to address it at their shareholder meeting. I have a specific question. Why it took 358 days to send me a letter about our meeting last year." 
 
 
Photo of Chief Jackie Thomas from Yinka Dene Alliance 
 
8: 50 PST - Today, the Yinka Dene Alliance will head into Enbridge's annual shareholder meeting with a message for Enbridge and their shareholders: they will not allow the Northern Gateway Pipeline on their traditional, unceded lands and territories.
 
The Alliance has gathered over 14,000 petitions calling on Parliament to recognize the decision that has been taken by the Yinka Dene Alliance and other First Nations to ban tar sands pipelines and tankers in their lands and waters and to protect their land from tar sands crude coming in from Alberta. 
 
The historic Freedom Train represents the largest public opposition of the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline to date. At a press conference in Edmonton, Chief Martin Louie of Nadleh Whut’en personally thanked Enbridge for uniting the First Nations across British Columbia.

According to Hereditary Chief Na'Moks of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, the Harper government's policies are helping to unify Canadians in opposition.

"The Prime Minister of Canada and his environmental minister are changing policies and the protections of the environment across Canada as a whole, just to enhance a project. If they do it once, they'll do it again," he said. "In the process that I see happening, the swing, the shift is to actually take the voice away from the people."
 
The Yinka Dene Alliance formed in 2004 around opposition to the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, and their alliance includes Nadleh Whut'en, Nak'azdli, Takla Lake, Saik'uz, and Wet'suwet'en First Nations. To date, over 100 First Nations have banned tar sands pipelines and tankers using their own indigenous law. 
 
The "Freedom Train", as it has come to be known, departed Vancouver on April 29, 2012 with over 50 members of the YDA and allies. Like the Constitution Train of the early 1980s, the Freedom Train symbolizes unity and solidarity across Canada between Canada’s first peoples, and developing unity between First Nations and non-First Nations as well. On the ten day journey across canada, solidarity events and rallies were held in five Canadian cities including Jasper, Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Toronto. 
 
Following a press conference today at 11:00am, people will march to Le Meridien King Edward, where the Enbridge AGM will be taking place. 
 

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