This Changes Everything

“Democracy, Divestment, and the Wins So Far” (Pages 337-348)

Klein describes the actions of the small island community of Bella Bella toward plans by Enbridge and the Canadian government to construct a new oil pipeline near their waters. When a review panel from Canada came to the island to discuss the plans, the Indigenous community met them with their chiefs in full ceremonial dress, with festive dances, a planned feast where the visitors would be guests of honor, and students lining the roads with posters about saving their island and way of life. It was “the culmination of a huge planning effort driven by [the] whole community” (337). Schoolchildren and students researched for months beforehand, looking into the history of pipeline tanker spills and the impacts on sea life so they would be ready to give testimony to protect the land and waters of their ancestors and of future generations. The review panel was unnerved by these scenes. They temporarily canceled the review meeting, claiming fears about their safety, and turned down the invitation to the feast. To the community, it was like a slap in the face after all their efforts.

Klein points out how the entire spirit of the community’s actions had been misunderstood.