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Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs postpone rally at B.C. legislature that opposes Coastal GasLink pipeline

Wet'suwet'en supporters and Coastal GasLink opponents continue to protest outside the B.C. Legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Thursday, February 27, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito Wet'suwet'en supporters and Coastal GasLink opponents continue to protest outside the B.C. Legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Thursday, February 27, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
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A large protest against the Coastal GasLink pipeline project in B.C. that was originally scheduled to take place outside the province's legislature buildings has been postponed, according to organizers.

Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs were originally scheduled to lead the rally on Tuesday afternoon.

However, organizers say it's been postponed "until further notice" due to the recent death of a highly respected Gidimt'en elder.

The Gidimt'en is one of five clans that makes up the Wet'suwet'en First Nation.

Many Wet'suwet'en heredity chiefs have long opposed the Coastal GasLink project, which involves a 670-kilometre pipeline being constructed across northern B.C.

The pipeline will bring natural gas to a terminal in Kitimat, B.C., where it will then be liquefied and shipped to international customers.

While elected First Nations along the pipeline's route have agreed to the project, some Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs have remained against it. Meanwhile, dozens of protesters and Indigenous land defenders have been arrested in Wet'suwet'en territory since 2019, when a B.C. Supreme Court judge ordered a temporary injunction against interference with the pipeline.

The protests gathered national attention in 2020, when blockades and other protests popped up across the country in opposition to the pipeline project.

In August, Costal GasLink said the project was about 70 per cent complete.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Ian Holliday

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