Monday, August 20, 2012

The Treacherous Prime Minister

Douglas Channel

Steve Harper's environmental assessment of the Northern Gateway bitumen pipeline proposal is an utter sham.   Steve says the fate of the pipeline will be decided by science but, after so many years, anyone who puts stock in what Steve says is, well, let's say cognitively impaired.

The fact is that the Harper regime is doing everything in its power to ensure that science doesn't intrude on the assessment travesty.   It wouldn't do to thwart its pre-ordained conclusion.

Documents filed with the National Energy Board show the environmental review panel studying the Northern Gateway project asked Fisheries and Oceans Canada for risk assessments for the bodies of water the proposed pipeline will cross. The pipeline is to traverse nearly 1,000 streams and rivers in the upper Fraser, Skeena and Kitimat watersheds.

The department didn't have them.

The department doesn't have them and there's no chance in hell it will have them by the short-fuze deadline Harper has imposed on the hearing process.

Earlier this month, Harper told reporters in Vancouver that "decisions on these kinds of projects are made through an independent evaluation conducted by scientists into the economic costs and risks that are associated with the project, and that's how we conduct our business."

...But the federal government recently sent letters to 92 habitat staff members within Fisheries and Oceans in B.C., telling them that their positions will be cut. Thirty-two of them will be laid off outright.

The cuts will mean the department in B.C. has half the habitat staff it had a decade ago.

All but five of the province's fisheries field offices will be cut as part of a $79 million — 5.8 per cent — cut to the department's operational budget, including the offices in Prince George and Smithers that would have had the lead in monitoring pipeline effects.

The marine contaminant group that would have been involved in a spill in B.C. has been disbanded and the fisheries and environmental legislation gutted, said Otto Langer, a retired fisheries department scientist.

"He (Harper) says the science will make the decision. Well he's basically disembowelled the science," said Langer. "It's a cruel hoax that they're pulling over on the public."

Harper, the grand corrupter, has obviously done a job on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.  Even though the DFO hasn't done the studies necessary for the Northern Gateway assessment, it has nonetheless given the project the "all clear."

 "Fisheries and Oceans Canada has provided its assessment and is of the view that the risk posed by the project to fish and fish habitat in the freshwater and marine environments can be managed by the proponent through appropriate mitigation and compensation measures," said the email, which echoed the response sent to the panel.

"The Department notes in its submission that the proponent has conducted a reasonable ecological risk assessment and provided useful information on the risks that an oil spill (in either marine or freshwater) would pose to fisheries resources."

Some experts smell a rat.

"It (the response from Fisheries to the panel) implies that the request to the joint review panel will not be answerable until after a decision has been made, until after the project has been approved," said Jeffrey Hutchings, a marine biologist at Dalhousie University.

"This seems, from a science perspective, a rather indefensible position in so far as a key part of the environmental review process is to evaluate the degree to which the pipeline will affect fish habitat."

..."Well, how can you make that judgment when you have not yet conducted a complete review of all proposed crossings?" he said. "Again, from a science perspective, I don't see how it's possible to be able to draw that conclusion."

This is treachery and nothing but treachery that begins in Ottawa in the prime minister's office and reaches all the way to Kitimat, the Douglas Channel, the Hecate Strait and Dixon Entrance.   But Harper's Potemkin Village environmental assessment isn't fooling the people of British Columbia and we're a force the Great Fixer can't begin to reckon with.




6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Harper a wolf in sheep's clothing when are the rest of Canadians going to wake up and throw the bum in a maximum security lock-up for life where he belongs? In order to save Canada we must eliminate Harper from politics the two cannot co-exist...

Anonymous said...

Now we have media moguls wanting in on the dirty Alberta crude -"dilbit"

http://richardhughes.ca/

Read all about it the rich want that pipeline the rest of us be damned!

The BC Lieberals lie to us again...

Anonymous said...

I'm not surprised. Harper lies and cheats his way through everything.

Harper's whopper lie, regarding Bruce Carson. He is using dirty tactics, to cheat his way out of his, robo-call election fraud cheat. He is trying to prevent the election riding disputes investigation too.

We of course, expect the worst from Harper and his personal scientists. Renowned Scientist from around the world, say the tar sands have the capacity, to destroy this entire planet. However, they will be wrong, and Harper's personal scientists will be right.

Did everyone see Enbridge and their map going into Kitimat Port? That is a sight to behold. All the islands are missing. You know, all the islands the massive dirty tar tankers have to do hairpin turns around? Enbridge and Harper, must have had them towed away. They seem to have vanished.

Harper's behavior is bizarre and senseless. People find with Harper. They can't rationalize someone, who isn't rational.

Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini and Harper, have the same typo personalities. Obsessive about control. Paranoid about Canada's top Scientists, of whom he got rid off. Muzzling the media. Installing one of his own boys into Elections Canada, to cheat his way out of the robo-call election fraud. Preventing the investigation of, the election riding disputes, by installing his, two new Conservative judges.

Canadian citizens should realize, we don't have to obey Harper as a traitor, committing treason. Selling the tar sands out to Communist China, is treason. There are complaints regarding Communist China, around the globe.

Luis-Moreno-Ocampo, ICC's Chief Prosecutor, has found Harper guilty, of stonewalling, lying and deceiving, in the investigation of, the torture of the detainee's. Remember, Harper prorogued Parliament to cheat his way out of his crime. Ocampo has to decide, to arrest Harper, for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Harper will have to bring over, his entire Communist army from China. The people of BC, will fight Harper, Communist China and Enbridge, to the death.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure what Harper and gang are hoping to accomplish. But I'm beginning to think that they would destroy the Canadian confederation in order to realize their bitumen export dreams.

What do Harper, Flaherty, Oliver, Baird et al expect to receive by breaking up Canada? Secret offshore bank accounts? Protection by foreign military?

I'm pretty sure one thing is certain. If they do destroy Canada, they may not be safe living in the remnants - except, perhaps, in Alberta.

Sam Gunsch said...

The photo you use reminded me of a post re Douglas Channel or adjacent ocean waters being ranked the third most dangerous waters on the planet for navigation.

I can't find it again. Maybe you or some of your readers know of this post which I think was possibly on The Commonsense Canadian site where Rafe Mair writes. Or Tyee.

The post was written by a retired ship captain with very substantial experience... but I can't find it again.

Regarding Enbridge's animation that removes the islands and narrow channels as seen in the photo you posted, I believe that Captain's post was talking about the ocean waters just outside these inner channels.

Bottom line... it's insane to plan to start putting mega-tankers of any sort through those waters.

And yes, I'm fishing for help to find that blog post... my rudimentary seach skills have failed me. And I think this 3rd most dangerous waters on the planet ought to get publicity.

Larry Bond said...

Couldn't agree more. I hope the people of BC will not allow a pipeline through their province.