Avengers star Mark Ruffalo joins campaign against B.C. pipeline with call for RBC to end funding
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Numerous Hollywood A-listers have signed petition against
Coastal GasLink financing
Avengers star Mark Ruffalo says concerns about how his money is used are driving his public campaign calling on the Royal Bank of Canada to stop funding the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern B.C.
The American actor is one of more than 65 Hollywood celebrities and Indigenous climate activists who've signed a petition demanding that RBC and its subsidiary City National Bank (CNB) defund the natural gas pipeline.
In an interview with Gloria Macarenko, host of CBC's On The Coast, Ruffalo said he banks with CNB, and tried to take action shortly after learning about the financial connection a few months ago.
"I said, hey guys, I don't know if you know this, but most of your clients are fighting for climate change action and Indigenous rights, and you have our money funding the tar sands and the Coastal GasLink pipeline," he said.
"I don't want my money funding this, I know that people in Hollywood who've signed on to this letter don't want their money funding this."
The petition, titled "No More Dirty Banks," describes CNB as the "bank to the stars," and has been signed by A-listers including Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Jane Fonda, Leonardo DiCaprio and Marisa Tomei.
It says RBC and CNB are supporting "violating Indigenous rights and fuelling climate chaos" by financing the project.
"As much as they speak about being champions for climate change and being champions of Indigenous rights and Indigenous people, everything that I've seen is absolutely contrary to those two claims," Ruffalo said.
RBC spokesperson Rafael Ruffolo wrote in an email that the bank had no comment on the campaign.
Celebrity support 'means the world to us'
Ruffalo was interviewed alongside two key Wet'suwet'en Nation leaders fighting against the pipeline through their traditional territory — Sleydo' (Molly Wickham) and Hereditary Wet'suwet'en Chief Na'Moks.
Both said they were grateful that so many people with big names and influence were lining up to support their protest against the pipeline.
"It absolutely means the world to us," Na'Moks said.
The hotly contested pipeline, which is planned to extend from northeast B.C. to Kitimat on the province's North Coast, is being built through the territory of the Wet'suwet'en Nation.
Coastal GasLink has said the project is fully authorized and permitted by government, and has the support of all 20 First Nation band councils, including five of the six band councils in the Wet'suwet'en Nation.
However, Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs have opposed the project, saying band councils do not have authority over land beyond reserve boundaries.
On Friday night, Coastal GasLink sent CBC an unsolicited statement outlining the support the project has had from Indigenous groups including recent news that 16 First Nations intend to purchase equity in the pipeline.
"Coastal GasLink recognizes that Indigenous reconciliation and addressing climate change are essential to creating a better, more sustainable world," the company said.
"We would encourage everyone interested to take the time to understand all the facts and the important role Indigenous communities have in developing and building the project."
With files from On the Coast
Mark Ruffalo, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Stiller and more stars sign letter protesting Canada Gas Pipeline
Janelle Ash
Thu, March 17, 2022
Hollywood stars have joined together to write a letter to City National’s parent company, the Royal Bank of Canada, to defund the Canada Gas pipeline.
The letter, signed in solidarity, urges the Royal Bank of Canada to "withdraw support from the Coastal GasLink pipeline, effective immediately."
The letter goes on to say, "City National Bank's parent company Royal Bank of Canada is bankrolling the climate crisis and violating the rights of Indigenous Peoples."
Mark Ruffalo narrates a two-minute video explaining what the Coastal GasLink pipeline is doing to the land of the Wet’suwet’en nation. Getty Images
More than 65 celebrities, including Mark Ruffalo, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Stiller, Scarlett Johansson, Taika Waititi, Jane Fonda, Susan Sarandon and Robert Downey Jr., banded together to send the letter to City National Bank’s parent company.
City National Bank has been dubbed as the "Bank of the Stars" and acquired the Royal Bank of Canada in 2015.
Some of the celebrities mentioned filmed a video together to raise awareness, using the hashtag #NoMoreDirtyBanks.
Ruffalo kicked off the video explaining the bank’s involvement with the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
"Right now, major banks like the Royal Bank of Canada are financing a fracked gas pipeline bulldozing through the land of the Wet’suwet’en nation in Northern British Columbia, Canada."
He went on to say, "The Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs never consented to this pipeline construction through their terrorities, which would risk the sacred headwaters of the Wedzin Kwa River, but here’s where it gets complicated."
Ben Stiller is joined by a long list of celebrities boycotting the Canada Gas pipeline. Getty Images
"The Supreme Court of Canada recognized Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs as rightful title holders of the land, but corporations still get away with consulting only ‘elected leadership’ put in place by the colonial government."
In a statement to Variety, which published the letter as an ad, Coastal GasLink stated: "Since the beginning of the Project, Coastal GasLink has sought to engage and consult with the Wet’suwet’en Houses through the Office of the Wet’suwet’en and the elected leadership. We want to listen and seek meaningful ways to address interests and concerns including ensuring the pipeline is built under the Morice River using the safest technology available."
"Coastal GasLink recognizes that Indigenous reconciliation and addressing climate change are essential to creating a better, more sustainable world," the statement added. We would encourage everyone interested to take the time to understand all the facts and the important role Indigenous communities have in developing and building the Project."
The Royal Bank of Canada hasn’t responded to the video or the letter.
A representative for the Royal Bank of Canada said it does not have a comment to share at this time. Reps for the City National Bank did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
Mark Ruffalo ‘saddened’ by John Horgan’s response to anti-Coastal GasLink campaign
By Amy Judd Global News
Posted March 18, 2022
Actor Mark Ruffalo is showing his support for Wets'uwet'en Hereditary Chiefs who oppose the Coastal GasLink Pipeline, and are calling for big banks to stop funding the project. As Ted Chernecki reports, the contentious project also has its supporters.
Hollywood actor and environmentalist, Mark Ruffalo, is firing back at B.C. Premier John Horgan after he commented on Ruffalo’s efforts to stop the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
He is one of several celebrities who have signed on to the No More Dirty Banks campaign calling on Royal Bank to pull its financial support for the pipeline.
Horgan said the campaign was disappointing and made a joke about Ruffalo’s latest project.
“I really liked The Adam Project. Mark Ruffalo was great in that. Ryan Reynolds was better,” Horgan joked.
“Look, I have a lot of respect for people who have opinions. If Mark Ruffalo had a full understanding on the intricacies of economic development in British Columbia then he has a role to play,” Horgan added. “Taking shots from the sidelines without understanding the impact on Indigenous peoples, the impact on our climate plan. If he read our climate plan I’d be excited to hear his thoughts.”
READ MORE: Hollywood celebrities call on RBC to stop financing B.C.’s Coastal GasLink project
Ruffalo responded on Twitter Thursday night saying “respectfully, I am saddened Horgan doesn’t like hearing from people, no matter what work they do, about things like climate change and First Nation’s rights and what our money is being used to fund. I thought that’s what he was in office to do.”
Ruffalo and other celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Jane Fonda are throwing their support behind Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs and other leaders who are calling on the Royal Bank of Canada to withdraw its support from the northern B.C. pipeline.
According to the campaign, RBC has invested more than $160 billion since 2015 to finance tar sands, fossil fuel extraction and transport.
RBC is also the lead financier of Coastal GasLink, the campaign states.
The campaign is asking RBC to withdraw support for the Coastal GasLink project, particularly as its company, City National Bank has extensive relationships with numerous Hollywood celebrities and companies.
However, many groups are in support of the pipeline. The elected council of the Wet’suwet’en Nation and others nearby have agreed to the project.
The project is permitted under Canadian law, but does not have the blessing of Wetsuwet’en Nation’s hereditary chiefs. Concerned for the wellbeing of ecosystems and sovereignty over their land, the chiefs have said the pipeline is “illegal” under their laws — the only ones they recognize on their territory.
If built, the 670-kilometre pipeline would transport natural gas from northeastern B.C. to a liquefied natural gas facility in coastal Kitimat, where it would be exported to global markets.
The project is being built by Calgary-based company, TC Energy Corporation.
In a statement to Global News, it said “Coastal GasLink is very concerned that important facts are not being shared with groups and individuals who are concerned about Indigenous rights and climate change issues. After years of thoughtful engagement and dialogue, the Coastal GasLink project received unprecedented support from all 20 elected Indigenous communities along our project corridor. Building on this support, last week, we were proud to announce that we have signed equity option agreements with two entities representing 16 Nations across the project corridor for a 10 per cent equity ownership interest in Coastal GasLink – a first for a project of this scale.”
The company added that since the beginning of the project, Coastal GasLink has sought to engage with the Wet’suwet’en Houses and they want to continue to engage with the Chiefs and open communication.
“Coastal GasLink recognizes that Indigenous reconciliation and addressing climate change are essential to creating a better, more sustainable world. We would encourage everyone interested to take the time to understand all the facts and the important role Indigenous communities have in developing and building the Project,” TC Energy said in the statement.
For the B.C. government, Horgan said he is “always disappointed when celebrities stop doing their trade and start giving out practical advice.
“They are completely entitled to do that,” he added “but I take it as someone who lives somewhere else having a comment about B.C.”
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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