Elsipogtog: The Fire Over Water

Fault Lines travels to Mi’kmaq territory in New Brunswick, Canada to find out what happens when a First Nation says no to fracking.

On October 17, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police raided a protest site set up by Mi’kmaq people and their supporters trying to prevent a Texas-based corporation from fracking.  The company had received rights to explore for shale gas by the province of New Brunswick.

Carried out by police with dogs and automatic weapons, the raid turned to chaos as residents of the Elsipogtog First Nation arrived to confront them. Police pepper-sprayed elders and fired sock rounds to control the crowd. Six police vehicles were set ablaze.  Some 40 people were arrested.

It was the most spectacular eruption yet of a struggle led by indigenous people to protect land they say they’ve never ceded and water they consider sacred – a struggle that grew quietly for three years, and shows no sign of slowing now.

Fault Lines has traveled to New Brunswick to ask why their fight caught fire, and find out what happens when Canada’s First Nations say no to resource extraction projects they oppose.