Subhead:The CBC is seemingly attempting to portray one lobby group’s letter as the authoritative Indigenous perspective on energy development.#
A B.C. advocacy group called the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) released a letter offering blanket opposition to the West Coast pipeline proposal being floated by Premier Danielle Smith and Mark Carney. Legacy media outlets dutifully reported on the letter as if it represented all or a majority of B.C.’s Indigenous chiefs, with headlines such as the CBC’s, “First Nations chiefs in B.C. call on Carney, Smith to halt advancing West Coast pipeline.”
UBCIC is an advocacy group that doesn’t speak for all chiefs. The organization’s self-reporting indicates that fewer than half of B.C. Indigenous bands make up its membership. Of that half, it’s difficult to determine where band leadership lands with the group.
Indigenous bands haven’t been eager to fund the UBCIC as it gets 93% of its funding from taxpayers at the federal and provincial levels of government. Only 7% of the budget comes from dues paid by members.
Amazon-embed:B0GXDXZ6LX
