Crystal Smith: If Mark Ruffalo cared about First Nations like mine, he'd defend natural gas projects

National Post: 'We haven’t opened doors to these projects and then had to fight over measly scraps of promised benefits. We have negotiated agreements which have built the Haisla’s capacity to employ our people, to rediscover our language, and to reconnect with our traditional ways.

'A share. A say.

'We recognize that other Indigenous nations look at development differently and may not support natural gas development. We also know, however, that many of our neighbouring nations absolutely see the benefits of these projects.

'That’s really what matters about natural gas development in our territory: when Mark Ruffalo and Ben Stiller and other celebrities scream for banks to withhold financing for projects like Coastal GasLink, they don’t consider the harm they’re doing to our nation’s interests and our people.'