December 10, 2010
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NEW DEMOCRATS CHALLENGE B.C. LIBERALS TO PROTECT OUR COAST FROM OIL
NEW DEMOCRATS CHALLENGE B.C. LIBERALS TO PROTECT OUR COAST FROM OIL
VICTORIA— New Democrats are challenging the B.C. Liberals to support a motion banning coastal oil drilling as well as bulk oil tanker traffic in Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound in the upcoming legislative session in the wake of a similar motion passing in federal Parliament.
New Democrats are also calling for the B.C. Liberals to prove that they have changed their position on coastal drilling after the Minister of Natural Resource Operations denied that the B.C. Liberals are continuing to lobby for the ban on coastal oil drilling to be lifted.
“The public has a right to know whether the B.C. Liberals and those running for premier are willing to fight for our coast to remain clean and oil free,” said New Democrat environment critic Rob Fleming.
Fleming says he will be introducing a motion to ban oil tanker traffic in Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound to the legislature in the upcoming session and will be looking for the B.C. Liberals to support it and to take action to uphold the ban on coastal oil drilling.
“The B.C. Liberal energy plan commits to lobbying the federal parliament to lift the ban on coastal oil drilling,” said Fleming. “Yet the B.C. minister of natural resource operations is out saying that the B.C. Liberals aren’t trying to lift the ban. It’s time for the B.C. Liberals to give British Columbians a straight answer – are they against coastal drilling, or are they willing to put our coast at risk from catastrophes like the Exxon Valdez spill and the gulf oil disaster?”
On Dec. 7, 2010, federal opposition parties passed a New Democrat resolution in favour of banning bulk oil tanker traffic in the Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound. North Coast MLA Gary Coons wants the provincial parliament to do the same.
“In light of the tremendous opposition from communities and first nations to projects like the Enbridge tar sands pipeline, it is time for the B.C. Liberals to step up to the plate and show British Columbians where they stand on protecting our coast from catastrophic oil spills,” said Coons.
Recently Fraser River First Nations joined with coastal First Nations in opposing the Enbridge tar sands pipeline and crude oil supertankers on the north coast.
“More than 80 First Nations and the B.C. Union of Municipalities are opposing the Enbridge tar sands pipeline and the supertankers that it would bring to our coast, yet the B.C. Liberals have failed to show that they take this issue seriously,” said Stikine MLA Doug Donaldson. “It’s time for B.C. Liberal leadership candidates to be honest about where they stand on this project.”
Skeena MLA Robin Austin noted that salmon play a critical role in the culture and economy of the northwest region.
“Oil spills kill fish,” said Austin. “If there is one thing that brings people in the communities I work for together, it is salmon. Whether one is a fishing guide that relies on salmon to bring tourists from around the world through the doors of their lodge, a member of a First Nation that sees salmon as a vital link to their culture, a commercial fisher, or someone who simply likes to relax and go fishing on the weekend – salmon are an irreplaceable resource that people in the northwest are unwilling to sacrifice for any reason.”
Sport and commercial fishing generate more than $1 billion a year in revenue in British Columbia, much of that in small rural communities without many other economic opportunities.
“Coastal oil extraction and bulk oil shipping cannot be allowed to threaten the Great Bear Rainforest, First Nations, and communities across the province,” said Fleming. “The overwhelming majority of British Columbians recognize that our coastal and river ecosystems are a fragile and irreplaceable resource that needs to be protected.”
The B.C. New Democrats have proposed an environmental plan that would reinvest carbon tax revenue in transit and climate change initiatives, create green jobs, and offer legislated protection for species at risk.
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Media Contact: Jennifer Jones 250-889-6308
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