The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday, Oct. 7, edition that Canada will see an upsurge in protests and other direct action from indigenous communities if governments approve pipelines and energy projects without their consent, Assembly of First Nations Grand Chief Perry Bellegarde said Thursday. The Globe's Shawn McCarthy writes that Mr. Bellegarde says first nations people in Canada are determined to assert their right to self-determination, and that includes free, prior and informed consent over energy projects that affect their traditional territory. The Liberal government has endorsed a United Nations declaration that includes the principle of consent, but federal ministers have dodged the question as to whether that endorsement means first nations can veto projects. The federal government is set to make a decision before Christmas on Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain expansion, which is opposed by some first nations communities around Vancouver where the pipeline ends, as well as their allies from across North America. Mr. Bellegarde says opponents to pipelines may mount high-profile demonstrations aimed at blocking construction.