RCMP national security unit monitored ‘threats’ linked to Wet’suwet’en anti-pipeline activism, records show – CBC

Nov 07, 2024

Reports raise questions about scope of surveillance around ‘critical infrastructure,’ sociologists say

An RCMP national security unit monitored First Nations-led anti-pipeline activism for “potential threats” to the energy, transportation and banking sectors between 2021 and 2022, internal police documents show.

Records obtained by CBC Indigenous reveal Ottawa-based federal policing groups tracked and analyzed protests against TC Energy and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), citing concerns about “anarchist groups” or “fringe environmentalists” sabotaging infrastructure or targeting executives in solidarity with Wet’suwe’ten hereditary chiefs.

It’s a concern one of those chiefs feels is unfairly used to justify surveillance of Indigenous rights-based activism.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/rcmp-critical-infrastructure-wetsuweten-1.7375872