Indigenous Leaders Tell Environment Minister to Halt New LNG Projects and Further Public Subsidies

TORONTO (Unceded territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples) — Indigenous leaders and a national coalition of health, climate, and community advocates today delivered a direct message to Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Dabrusin: the federal government must halt LNG Canada Phase 2 and the Ksi Lisims LNG and reject any public funding or subsidies for these projects. 

The request comes after a number of private meetings between MPs, Senators, and Ministerial Staff in Ottawa and a delegation of Indigenous leaders, including Dinï ze’ Na’Moks (John Ridsdale), Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief, and Gwii Lok’im Gibuu (Jesse Stoeppler), Gitxsan Wilp Spookwx and Co-Executive Director of the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition.

“Governments cannot claim these LNG projects are in the national interest while ignoring our laws, our rights, and the impacts on our territories,” said Dinï ze’ Na’Moks (John Ridsdale), Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief. “If Canada is serious about reconciliation and responsible decision-making, it must stop advancing projects that move forward without our consent while placing the burden of risk on our communities.”

The call comes as analysts increasingly warn that Canada cannot build LNG infrastructure fast enough to respond to current global energy disruptions, raising questions about the economic case for expansion.

“These projects are being framed as urgent solutions, but the reality is they are high-cost, high-risk developments that won’t come online for years, if at all,” added Gwii Lok’im Gibuu (Jesse Stoeppler), Gitxsan Wilp Spookwx and Co-Executive Director of the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition “Canada is being asked to double down on projects that are unlikely to deliver economic or energy security benefits, while exposing the rest of us to long-term financial and environmental liabilities.”

Major Canadian energy projects, including Coastal GasLink, have consistently faced long delays and significant cost overruns, with some exceeding initial budgets by more than 100 percent. Analysts note that new LNG projects under consideration are unlikely to be operational until the early 2030s, well beyond current global supply disruptions.

Speakers at the Toronto peaceful rally emphasized that continued investment in LNG expansion comes at the expense of more immediate, cost-effective solutions.

“At a time when governments are cutting services and people are struggling with affordability, it is reckless to direct public money toward projects that deepen climate risk and financial instability,” said Eve Saint, Financial Divestment Campaigner with Gidimt’en Checkpoint and Co-founder of 8th Fire Rising. “Public funds should be used to support communities, not subsidize projects that harm them.”

Environmental organizations also warned that continued investment in LNG expansion undermines Canada’s climate commitments and delays the transition to a clean economy, and that Canada should instead prioritize building a renewable electricity grid connecting all corners of the country.

“Clean energy is the safest, more reliable way to power our economy. We need to build upon Indigenous-owned and Indigenous-led clean energy projects that are leading the energy transition, and build an east to west electricity grid together,” said Janelle Lapointe, Senior Advisor, Indigenous Strategy, David Suzuki Foundation. “Indigenous and non-Indigenous people have this common fight right now – to demand investment in clean energy solutions that are based on well-being and accountability,”

Ongoing, excessive flaring events at the LNG Canada export facility in Kitimat have intensified concerns about emissions and public health, with limited transparency around their frequency, causes and impacts.

“The LNG and fracking industry are harming health in British Columbia and across the country. In Kitimat, my colleagues watch patients struggle to breathe during excessive flaring events, with hazardous air pollutants unmonitored and communities notified only after they’ve been exposed,” said Dr. Samantha Green, President of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. “The LNG industry feeds on fracking, which scientific research links to higher risks of lung and heart disease, cancer, birth defects, and premature death. Indigenous and rural communities bear the heaviest burden. By supporting these projects, the federal government is ignoring the lack of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent as well as the tremendous health costs and leaving our already-strained healthcare system to foot the bills. This is not in the national interest.”

“As my own MP and the Minister of Environment, it is frankly embarrassing that Minister Dabrusin is gambling public money on a volatile gas market rather than defending our climate. Pumping taxpayer dollars into risky, volatile LNG projects subject to global conflicts and corporate greed makes zero economic or environmental sense. said Richard Brooks, Climate Finance Director with Stand.earth. “Canadians deserve stable, clean energy we can actually control, not a publicly funded bet against our own future.”

The Toronto action was part of the national “LNG: Not In Our National Interest” Week of Action (April 13–18), with coordinated events taking place across Canada.

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Media contact:

Cari Barcas, Stand.earth Communications Director, cari.barcas@stand.earth