AFTER THE INJUNCTION: THE ROLE OF THE COURTS IN POLICING INDIGENOUS RESISTANCE IN B.C.

Indigenous land defenders challenging major projects on traditional territory remains an enduring feature of Canadian politics. These projects can be protected by court-issued injunctions that can authorize the state to dispel land defenders. Although there is a growing body of scholarship that shows how injunctions are typically granted to favour businesses and the state (Pasternak and Ceric, 2023), the sentencing of individuals who violate injunctions is underexplored. We analyze the sentencing decisions of Indigenous individuals who violated injunctions protecting three major projects in B.C.: the Coastal GasLink pipeline, logging at the Fairy Creek watershed, and the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. We find that in the total eight sentencing decisions across these projects, the court typically does not accept the defendants’ arguments that commitment to Indigenous laws that protect traditional territory are relevant background factors that should mitigate against incarceration. Thus, Gladue principles are considered during sentencing, but our analysis suggests that Gladue does not live up to its promise of requiring courts to appreciate Indigenous laws, culture, and heritage.