The group claims that the project will have a negative impact on the environment and wipe out salmon habitat.

The project, which is proposed to come up in British Columbia, received approval from the government of Canada in September.

Gitwilgyoots Tribe chief Yahaan (Donnie Wesley) said: “Once again, we are forced to ask courts to do what our politicians seem unable to do – to honor Canada’s obligations to its Indigenous communities, and to protect our environment from catastrophic harm.”

Canada approved the project with 190 conditions, even as many raised concerns that it would lead to destruction of salmon habitat and release of large amounts of green houses gases.

The group said that lawsuits are aimed at stopping construction of a “dangerous and ill-­conceived” LNG project at the mouth of the Skeena River.

Gitanyow aboriginal community chief negotiator Glen Williams said: “Despite repeated requests, the federal government has failed to properly consult with our people.”

The Canadian government said it will stand by the decision which was made after a three-year evaluation , Reuters reported.

Canada’s Environment Minister Catherine McKenna spokeswoman Caitlin Workman was quoted by the publication as saying: “This project underwent a three-year rigorous and thorough science-based process that evaluated and incorporated mitigation measures that will minimize the environmental impacts.”

SkeenaWild, an environmental group filing one of the lawsuits, said that there are flaws in the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency’s characterization of the project’s impacts.

SkeenaWild executive director Greg Knox said: “We challenge the Agency’s conclusion that the project will have no significant impact on fish even though construction of the project could permanently destroy 35,000 square meters of crucial salmon habitat.”

The Petronas-led project is proposed to be built in the district of Port Edward, British Columbia, about 1,600 km (1,000 miles) northwest of Vancouver.

The facility is expected to export about 12 million tonnes of LNG to consumers in Asia annually.