Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs rally in Vancouver against B.C. natural gas pipeline

Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and their supporters opposed to a natural gas pipeline under construction in northern British Columbia are rallying in Vancouver as they near the end of a tour of several communities across Canada.

The group walked across the Cambie Street bridge from city hall and a news advisory says they planned to rally in front of the CBC Vancouver building.

The advisory says the event is part of a ``larger struggle to empower the Wet'suwet'en Nation'' against imminent drilling for the pipeline under a river, and to connect Indigenous communities grappling with the effects of climate change.

The hereditary chiefs say they have not given free, prior and informed consent for the 670-kilometre Coastal GasLink pipeline to be built on their unceded territory.

They have opposed the pipeline for years, while 20 elected First Nations band councils along the route have signed off on the project.

The pipeline would transport natural gas from Dawson Creek in northeastern B.C. to Kitimat on the province's north coast.