Hollywood celebrities have signed a petition organized to urge the Royal Bank of Canada to stop financing the Coastal GasLink, a gas pipeline that would cut through the Wet’suwet’en region in northwest British Columbia without approval from local tribal chiefs.

The petition, organized by Indigenous Climate Action, was signed by Mark Ruffalo, Leonardo DiCaprio, Taika Waititi, Scarlett Johansson, Jane Fonda and Robert Downey Jr., along with many other actors, artists, athletes and musicians opposing the billion-dollar natural gas pipeline. project.

This includes director Ava DuVernay and actors Josh Gad, Mariska Hargitay, Rooney Mara, Julianne Moore, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Schumer, Ben Stiller and Marisa Tomei. In Canada, opposition to the Coastal GasLink project has led to protests and rail blockades across the country.

TC Energy, which is building the Coastal GasLink project, in a statement said it was seeking talks with the hereditary chief Wet’suwet’en against the pipeline running through their area: “Since the beginning of the project, Coastal GasLink has sought to engage and consult with Home Wet’suwet’en through the Wet’suwet’en Office and elected leaders. We wanted to listen and look for meaningful ways to address interests and concerns, including ensuring the pipeline is built under the Morice River using the safest technology available.”

An open letter to City National Bank and Royal Bank of Canada is as follows:

We the undersigned sue the parent company of City National Bank, Royal Bank of Canada:

Withdraw support from Coastal GasLink pipeline, effective immediately.

Uphold, affirm and respect the rights of indigenous peoples. It is imperative that CNB and RBC not only “respect” the rights of Indigenous Peoples, but also adhere to policies and practices that ensure the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of indigenous peoples as defined in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) under Article 32.

Stop funding fossil fuel expansion. CNB and RBC must end funding extreme fossil fuel expansion projects, particularly fracking and tar sands. Alberta’s tar sands exacerbate the climate crisis and why Canada cannot meet its international climate commitments as agreed at COP 26.

City National Bank’s parent company Royal Bank of Canada is funding the climate crisis and violating the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Despite RBC’s claim to be a leader in climate-conscious banking, since acquiring CNB in ​​2015, RBC has spent more than $160 billion to become one of the world’s largest and most aggressive financiers in tar sands, fossil fuel extraction, and transportation. RBC is now the fifth largest financier of fossil fuels in the world. BankingOnClimateChaos.org

Despite publicly claiming to “respect the inherent right of indigenous peoples to self-determination”, RBC invested heavily in the GasLink Coastal fracking gas pipeline which now bulldozes through the indigenous territories and waters of the Wet’suwet’en Community, without the consent of the Heads of Descendants.

The time to defund Coastal GasLink is now. RBC should withdraw from the Coastal GasLink fracking gas pipeline now and stop funding fossil fuels.