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Analyzing The Controversy Behind The Northern Gateway Pipeline

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Final Exam Essay One
Analyzing the Controversy behind the Northern Gateway Pipeline

Proposed in the mid-2000’s, the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline would send crude oil from just outside of Edmonton, Alberta to ports in Kitimat, British Columbia. From there it would be loaded onto tankers and shipped to countries in Asia. The Energy East Pipeline was proposed in 2013 and would send the oil towards New Brunswick and possibly Quebec. While theoretically this seems like an ideal way to quickly and efficiently ship large amounts of crude oil across the country to facilitate large amounts of trade and boost the economy, these pipelines have been the subject of massive controversy from a large number of groups. In this essay, I will briefly highlight the regional and national controversies, as well as backlash from interest groups and party politicians, who have opposed the pipelines for unique, broad, and irrefutable reasons.

Minority Nationalism One of the largest controversies surrounding the Pipeline projects was from the Aboriginal Community. The proposed pipelines would cover the land of over 40 Aboriginal groups, and they are all (or mostly all) vocally opposed to the project. As reported on CBC, 28 Aboriginal Communities have banded together to sign documents calling for the pipeline project to be banned. Aboriginal communities in British Columbia have filed 18 different legal challenges against Enbridge, the builder of the Northern Gateway pipeline, claiming they

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