Justin Trudeau doesn't even try to hide that he's just another greasy Ottawa petrol-head. He says he opposes the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline for obscure reasons that perhaps only he understands. Enbridge, he says, needs to go back to the drawing board and come back with something more palatable. That's a pretty soft 'no' on the Northern Gateway.
Trudeau doesn't like the idea of a pipeline running through the Great Bear Rainforest and gives Enbridge a failing grade on getting First Nations' and affected communities' approval. He's even got a lovely little quip for it: "Ultimately governments grant permits, but only communities grant permission.” Really, junior, that's it?
JT also opposes the Northern Gateway because of the potential ramifications of a tanker accident. He points out there are thousands of British Columbians who make their living on the sea and could see their livelihoods ruined.
Trudeau's hypocrisy, however, comes through with his gushing support for TransCanada's Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion. On that southern pipeline, Trudeau ditches all the objections he raises in opposing the Northern Gateway.
Every community in the Lower Mainland, representing about 2-million Canadians, is fiercely opposed to the Kinder-Morgan expansion. A tanker sinking anywhere from Indian Arm to the open Pacific would wreak far greater damage even than the same spill on the north coast. Does Trudeau not realize that Vancouver's inner harbour is Canada's gateway to the Pacific? What does he think a tanker mishap could do to downtown Vancouver, Burnaby and the North Shore municipalities? Has he not heard how our National Energy Board gave America's Environmental Protection Agency the slip on the Kinder Morgan hearings?
Trudeau the Lesser doesn't even want to deal with the Tar Sands, groundwater contamination and the spread of carcinogens much less the environmental consequences of pushing the world's highest-cost, highest-carbon on world markets. That pretty much shows where Trudeau would be environmentally - not far from Harper.
We've mocked Harper for transforming Canada into an international pariah, five time winner of the Fossil of the Year award, but the policies Trudeau is taking would commit his government to defend the same interests, build the same barricades to action, that have left our country so tarnished already.
And, lest any of you think the NDP is one bit better, a touch of Murray Dobbin will disperse your delusions.
I am not positive about this? Does not Kinder Morgan already own the land around where, the expansion is supposed to be built? Vancouver is a very favorite, tourist destination city. You bet a tanker spill would destroy Vancouver's tourist industry.
ReplyDeleteThe Enbridge pipeline would be a disaster as well. Thousands of tourists come from, all around the world to, Whale watch and Bear watch. They love to see the Bears fish for Salmon, always hopeful to see the Spirit Bears and the unique small Wolves.
Our beautiful Orca and Humpback Whales feed in the Douglas Channel. It is always wonderful when a new baby whale is spotted in the Pods. If one of the massive, Chinese dirty oil tankers should spill? That would be a horrendous disaster.
Enbridge has chosen a limited partnership--is to limit the exposure of investors of the company, not to make good on a catastrophic spill.
12/07/05
business.financialpost.com
BC has been under siege for years by, Harper and his Campbell/Clark BC Liberals. Gordon Campbell thieved and sold everything out of BC, he got his dirty hands on.
Enbridge has used every dirty tactic in the book, to force their way into BC. Petro-China put in a bid to *help* build the Enbridge, using their own cheap labor, of course.
BC citizens are furious, Communist China is being handed BC's resources, as well as the resource jobs. Quite frankly, we don't give a damn if, Communist China never gets their oil.
No need to go to war with China.
ReplyDeleteThey will simply buy everything we have and the exhausts from all of the oil,lng, wood, farmed fish and coal we sell them will eventually cause them all to expire.
We win again.
" A tanker sinking anywhere from Indian Arm to the open Pacific would wreak far greater damage even than the same spill on the north coast."
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I disagree. The overpriced Lower Vainland and its "jewel" Vancouver has already wrecked Burrard Inlet and most of the last hundred miles of the Fraser River, so if we're gonna have a spill, have it in the black hole where all our money goes and let the pigs and leeches on Howe Street revel in the smell.........