In a series of tweets, Skeena BC Liberal MLA Ellis Ross called out Hollywood heavyweight Leonardo DiCaprio for his allegedly 鈥渕isinformed鈥� comment in support of the Wet鈥檚utwet鈥檈n 台湾MM裸聊室 GasLink (CGL) pipeline opposition.
鈥淵ou have no idea what you鈥檙e talking about,鈥� Ross told DiCaprio on Twitter. 鈥淕ive me a call. I鈥檒l tell you the other side of the story as an Aboriginal leader who was on the front of this project from day one.鈥�
Ross鈥檚 comments were a response to the American actor鈥檚 own tweet in which he highlighted the pipeline opposition in northwest B.C. to his 19.4 million followers on Twitter and shared a video of the RCMP raid posted by the Gidimt鈥檈n Checkpoint group.
鈥淎fter setting up a blockade to protect their land, community, and sacred headwaters Wedzin Kwa from 台湾MM裸聊室 GasLink鈥檚 planned fracked gas pipeline, the Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n Nation has faced militarized raids from the RCMP. We must protect the rights of land defenders,鈥� read DiCaprio鈥檚 Nov. 22 tweet.
You have no idea what you鈥檙e talking about. Give me a call. I鈥檒l tel you the other side of the story as an aboriginal leader who was on the front of this project from day one.
鈥� Ellis Ross (@ellisbross)
This is not the first time DiCaprio has been vocal about environmental issues in B.C. Back in June, he joined a list of celebrities and tweeted in support of protecting old-growth forests in the province in wake of the Fairy Creek blockades on Vancouver Island.
The CGL pipeline opposition gained worldwide attention after videos of RCMP arresting people who had set up blockades near Houston mid-November went viral on the internet.
Pipeline opponents have repeatedly stressed on the environmental concerns of the pipeline being built under the Wedzin Kwa (Morice River), without consent from hereditary chiefs. The 670-kilometre-long CGL pipeline in northwestern B.C. by TC Energy is being built to deliver natural gas from the Dawson Creek area to the LNG Canada facility in Kitimat.
Ross, who was the former chief councillor for the Haisla Nation on whose territory the LNG Canada terminal is being built, has been vocal about his support for resource development economies for First Nations.
The BC Liberal Leadership candidate used this opportunity to speak out in support of the $40 billion LNG Canada project.
Since his initial Twitter response, Ross penned an open letter to Leonardo DiCaprio published in the National Post where he further elucidated on the many reasons why the actor is 鈥渨rong.鈥�
鈥淏y encouraging illegal activity in the name of 鈥渃onservation鈥� you [DiCaprio] are, in reality, harming the hard-working people 鈥� Indigenous and non-Indigenous 鈥� who are leading the way on providing environmentally sustainable solutions for my province,鈥� read a statement from the letter.
