A student-led club at Lakehead University is joining protests across the country against the financing of fossil fuel expansion.
They are asking Canadian banks to stop supplying funding and to respect Indigenous sovereignty.
The protest is being held in solitary with Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan land defenders resisting fuel extraction on their territories.
They join 13 other student groups on campuses nationwide that are protesting.
“Climate Justice Lakehead is a student-led club at Lakehead University that advocates for and educates others about climate change, ecological sustainability, social justice, and how they intersect,” explained Climate Justice member, Rachel Portinga. “LU students are deeply concerned about how climate change will influence every aspect of their future including their environment, food systems, potential for conflict, and decisions about parenting in such a world.”
“Funding, and building, new pipelines on unceded Indigenous land in 2025 directly contributes to exacerbating climate change and disrespecting Indigenous sovereignty. We call on banks to stop funding fossil fuel extraction, LNG projects and violence against Indigenous people.”
According to Climate Justice, multiple new liquified gas projects in B.C. are approaching final financing decisions.
The projects could have negative effects on local ecosystems and First Nations.
The protest is taking place in the Regional Centre (RC 1002) on Lakehead’s campus on Wednesday from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
At the event, there will be a film screening and an art build to raise awareness about Indigenous resistance to pipeline projects.
The film, Yintah was filmed over a decade of Wet’suwet’en resistance to the construction of the CGL pipeline on their traditional lands, and across their sacred river, Wed’zin’kwa.
