ORCIE has previously shared the concerns raised by Indigenous Peoples about the proposed West Coast oil pipeline and the Government of Canada’s consideration of its designation as a “project of national interest.” With the Government now having designated the Pacific Link pipeline as a project of national interest, we believe it is important to continue creating space for Canadians, and particularly for Catholic religious communities, to learn from Indigenous Peoples who are speaking about the importance of protecting water, lands and the well-being of future generations.
The Keepers of the Water are Indigenous water protectors and leaders whose work reminds us that water is not simply a resource or an economic asset. Their message calls attention to the sacred relationships between water, land, Indigenous Peoples, communities and future generations. In their response to the Pacific Link designation, they have drawn attention to the timing of the decision, coming less than 24 hours after the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and invited reflection on what is meant by “national interest” when decisions affect Indigenous territories, waters and communities.
The story of Keepers of the Water begins not with a policy or a protest, but with a whisper from the past, Traditional Knowledge, carried on the breath of a Community Leader. “Water is life,” Cleo Reece, now one of our Wisdom Councillors, reminded us in a quiet moment of reflection. “Without water, we would not exist.” (https://www.keepersofthewater.ca/)”
For ORCIE, amplifying this message is an opportunity to help our members listen to and learn from Indigenous perspectives on water and to consider how these perspectives can deepen our understanding of the common good. The Pacific Link project brings these questions into focus: whose interests are being considered, how are Indigenous rights and participation understood, and what does it mean to define the national interest in ways that include the protection of water and the living systems upon which communities and future generations depend?
For Catholics, the protection of water is deeply connected to our faith and our call to care for our common home. Water is essential to life, a gift that belongs to everyone, and a responsibility we hold together across generations. The 2026 Season of Creation theme, “Living Waters,” and Pope Leo XIV’s September prayer intention, “for the care of water,” place this concern firmly within the life of the Church. Pope Leo has drawn attention to the global reality that 2.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and prayed for forgiveness for treating water as a commodity rather than recognizing it as a universal gift and a right without borders. His reflection offers another invitation for Catholics to consider how our relationship with water is connected to our responsibility for creation and the common good.
From an integral ecology perspective, the well-being of people, communities and the natural world cannot be separated. Water connects us all. As Canada moves forward with the Pacific Link project, the voices of Indigenous water protectors offer an important perspective for understanding what is at stake and what it might mean for a project to serve the “national interest.”
(Photo by Gene Dizon on Unsplash)