'Enough is enough,' when it comes to oilsands emissions, chief responds to Alberta premier's speech

First Nations chiefs opposed to oilsands development are decrying Alberta Premier Rachel Notley's promises to incorporate climate change commitments while pushing for more pipelines to be built.

Notley advocated for the expedited building of pipelines likeKinder Morgan'sTrans Mountain expansion in B.C. during a speech at the Economic Club of Canada in Ottawa on Tuesday.

She proclaimed the success of carrying out the most aggressive greenhouse gas emission policy in North America and encouraged all political parties to get on board withbuilding pipelines to help save Alberta from economic ruin.

ButGrand Chief Serge Simon of the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake, who recently celebrated the cancellation of TransCanada's Energy East pipelinethat would havecrossed through his traditional territory, said he will continue the fight to stop the expansion of oilsands operations.

"The never-ending expansion of the Alberta Tar Sands is responsible for half of the rise in emissions in Canada since 1990. Enough is enough," said Simon.

He said emissions from Alberta's oil industry is an issue that affects all of Canadaand it's time to hold Alberta to account.

"The Alberta 'cap' on tar sands emissions still allows a roughly 50 per cent increase in tar sands emissions. And that's why the industry wants to build these pipelines to increase production. That is just crazy with everything we know today about the climate crisis."

He said themeasures that Notley'sgovernment has in place to phase out coal-fired power,regulate industry's methane emissions,cap greenhouse gasesfrom the oil industry and impose a carbon price isn't going to offset the oil sands industry.

"Canada's greenhouse gas emissions need to go way down and all of Alberta's green policies will still have Alberta's emissions going up until 2030," he said.

During her speech on Tuesday,Notleyencouraged the Liberal government to help convince B.C. residents who are leery about the Kinder Morgan pipelinethat it's good for both the economy and the environment to move forward on the project.

Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs Grand Chief Stuart Phillip saidhe is tired of the rhetoric.

In anemail to CBCNews,Phillip said Notley needs to "mind her own business" and begin to clean up her own backyard.

"B.C. is not Alberta's doormat," he said.

"As Indigenous peoples and British Columbians,we have a fundamental right to protect and defend our lands and waters from the imminent threat of highly toxic dirty tar sands oil spills."

Simon and Phillip represent two of 150 Indigenous nations and organizations who are signatories to a treaty to stop allpipelines, trains and tankers that would allow the Alberta oilsands to expand.

There is just one signatory to the treaty from Alberta, the Piikani Nation in the south.Simon saidhe isn't surprised that there aren't more First Nations on board with the treaty from Alberta.

"They're trying to make the best of the situation," he said.

"No one asked whether they wanted this super dirty and ever-expanding industry to set up shop in their territory. But it's here now and they have had to live with it."

CBCNews reached out to Alberta'sIndigenous Relations office for comment, but has not yet received a response.