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A group calling itself the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on Sunday demanding a halt to the proposed West Coast pipeline, warning that expanding fossil fuel production would deepen the climate crisis.

The letter, signed by figures including Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, was seemingly reported by The Globe and Mail as though it represented the views of First Nations across British Columbia.

But UBCIC is not a representative body of chiefs. It is an advocacy group whose own membership disclosures show fewer than half of B.C.'s Indigenous bands belong to it, as previously reported on AlbertaFactCheck.com. Of that minority, it is unclear how many band leaders actually endorse the organization's positions, and the group excludes bands that support liquefied natural gas and pipeline development.

Financial records show 93 per cent of UBCIC's budget comes from federal and provincial government funding, with only seven per cent coming from membership dues.

UBCIC has a history of issuing statements that shape media narratives beyond its actual membership. The group previously backed proposals to criminalize residential school denialism and defended former B.C. Civil Liberties Association executive director Harsha Walia after she said "burn it all down" amid a wave of church burnings and vandalism following unverified reports of unmarked graves at a former residential school in Kamloops.

Rebel News has previously reported that some Kamloops band members have since disputed the unmarked graves narrative, though UBCIC has continued promoting it.

Critics say legacy outlets like The Globe and Mail continue to grant UBCIC an outsized platform, lending government-funded talking points the appearance of broad Indigenous consensus.