Greenpeace Canada climbing activists occupy the pipes used to load tar sands oil onto tankers in the Port of Montreal and hang a banner saying: “Stop Pipelines: Protect Our Water and Climate”. Other activists lock themselves to the front gate, and kayakers join the protest later in the day to highlight the risk of an oil spill in the St. Lawrence River. The action follows the federal approval of two tar sands pipelines and is intended to send a message of pan-Canadian opposition to new pipelines to the December 8-9 First Ministers’ meeting on climate change.
“Across the country, we stand united against new tar sands pipelines that would break our commitments to the climate and to First Nations. We are not going to sit idle while our government approves new tar sand oil mines and pipelines to carry it,” says climber activist Marie-Eve Robert, who is one of the climber activists chained to a tar sands oil loading pipe. “Our message to Prime Minister Trudeau and other Premiers is clear: you can’t be a climate leader and approve new pipelines. Climate leaders will get our support, but pipeline builders will meet fierce resistance.”