Résumés
Abstract
The lure of development, intertwined with promises of creating endless growth, well-being and socio-economic opportunities, has been used in British Columbia to shape a specific narrative around resource exploitation while justifying the continued approval of development projects. Pipelines such as the Coastal Gas Link (CGL) or LNG liquefaction facilities in Kitimat have been approved and praised as infrastructures that can bring prosperity to locals while fostering the global green transition by shipping “clean” gas and resources to Asia, by using the two deep-water, ice-free ports of Kitimat and Prince Rupert, located in Northwestern British Columbia. Often presented as the shortest routes to link North America to Asia; the former provides the fastest and most cost-effective route for LNG export through the Douglas channel, while the latter is believed to offer the best options for shipping goods into North America while exporting raw materials and resources to growing Asian markets.
The discourse around the necessity of such infrastructures has revamped since Donald Trump took office as the 47th president of the United States on 20 January 2025. The recent tariffs imposed by the US on Canadian goods and the ongoing threat to Canadian sovereignty provide industries and financial actors with a strong argument to foster the discourse around the necessity of such infrastructure, with politicians using it to shape Canada’s 2025 federal election campaign. Combining all these elements, by engaging with the literature on infrastructure and drawing on my fieldwork experience, this contribution explores how infrastructures have been used to shape and strengthen the narrative around the perpetual need for further development while highlighting the impact infrastructure development has had on people’s daily lives and their ability to envision the future.
Keywords:
- First Nations,
- Industrial development,
- resource exploitation,
- extractive industries,
- futurity,
- expectations,
- British Columbia,
- Canada,
- US tariffs
Résumé
L’attrait du développement, associé à des promesses de croissance, de bien-être et d’opportunités socio-économiques illimités, a été utilisé en Colombie-Britannique pour façonner un discours spécifique autour de l’exploitation des ressources tout en justifiant l’approbation continue de projets de développement. Des pipelines tels que le Coastal Gas Link (CGL) ou les installations de liquéfaction de GNL à Kitimat ont été approuvés et salués comme des infrastructures susceptibles d’apporter la prospérité aux populations locales, tout en favorisant la transition écologique mondiale grâce à l’expédition de gaz et de ressources « propres » vers l’Asie, en utilisant les deux ports en eau profonde et libres de glace de Kitimat et Prince Rupert, situés dans le nord-ouest de la Colombie-Britannique. Souvent présentés comme les routes les plus courtes pour relier l’Amérique du Nord à l’Asie, le premier offre la route la plus rapide et la plus rentable pour l’exportation de GNL via le canal Douglas, tandis que le second est considéré comme offrant les meilleures options pour expédier des marchandises vers l’Amérique du Nord tout en exportant des matières premières et des ressources vers les marchés asiatiques en pleine croissance.
Le débat sur la nécessité de telles infrastructures a pris un nouvel élan depuis l’entrée en fonction de Donald Trump en tant que 47e président des États-Unis, le 20 janvier 2025. Les récents droits de douane imposés par les États-Unis sur les produits canadiens et la menace permanente qui pèse sur la souveraineté canadienne fournissent aux industries et aux acteurs financiers un argument de poids pour alimenter le débat sur la nécessité de telles infrastructures, les politiciens s’en servant pour façonner la campagne électorale fédérale canadienne de 2025. En combinant tous ces éléments, en m’appuyant sur la littérature consacrée aux infrastructures et sur mon expérience de terrain, cette contribution explore la manière dont les infrastructures ont été utilisées pour façonner et renforcer le discours sur la nécessité permanente de poursuivre le développement, tout en soulignant l’impact que le développement des infrastructures a eu sur la vie quotidienne des gens et leur capacité à envisager l’avenir.
Mots-clés :
- Premières Nations,
- développement industriel,
- exploitation des ressources,
- industries extractives,
- avenir,
- attentes,
- Colombie-Britannique,
- Canada,
- droits de douane américains
Parties annexes
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