Proponents of oil pipelines got a vivid picture Monday of what they're up against in B.C.
It's not the difficult terrain or the harsh weather that's their main problem. It's not the endless cross-examination during the review process.
It's the determined opposition by environmentalists, natives and others who over the past several years have turned pipelines into a touchstone issue.
They all showed up on the front lawn of the legislature for a show of force. It delivered a clear message that no matter how many permits and approvals any pipeline gets from governments, actually building one is going to be fraught with trouble.
First Nations led the protest from start to finish, and for good reason. Apart from all the legal clout at their disposal when it comes to opposing development, they bring extra weight to any movement.
Native elders and hereditary chiefs put a spiritual, transcendental overlay on the political movement to reject pipelines.
Chief Dan George's grandson, Reuben George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, spoke about the cosmic connection to water, "where the creation of the first human being comes from."
He told 3,000 cheering people the spirit of what they're doing comes from the earth. People should cherish sacred things and treat them with respect, because they give energy back.
"We should put back the same goodness into the earth that we take out," he said. "Oil tankers and pipelines aren't doing that."
There's an obvious disconnect in B.C. between a society of four million people that runs almost entirely on oil, but in which large numbers of people want nothing to do with the dirty business of moving it around.
The protesters Monday cheerfully ignored that.
Enbridge's Northern Gateway line was the main target Monday, but Kinder Morgan's long-range plan to expand an existing line into metro Vancouver drew almost as much heat.
The only thing proponents have to counter all the environmental, legal, spiritual and cosmic objections to pipelines is money.
And no matter how much they promise to spread around in the form of jobs and tax revenue, it doesn't look to be enough.
"Money is worthless," read a number of signs in the crowd.
One speaker said his elders delegated him to tell Enbridge the band didn't want them on their land.
"All they did was offer us money. We went to the government and they said: 'Why don't you just take the money?'
"We're not selling our future for any amount of money."
Others tried to placate people for whom pipelines are an economic issue.
"We're not going to threaten their livelihood ... We're going to improve it because there are good alternatives."
Despite the big, entertaining show, the pipeline fight is still a long way from a showdown.
The go or no-go decision is still a year or more away. When the time comes, Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be nearing the end of his mandate, and the 21 seats he holds in B.C. will be a factor in his thinking.
Provincially, at least 10 NDP MLAs were mingling in the crowd Monday and they were on solid ground.
The NDP unilaterally opposes the Enbridge pipeline. B.C. Liberals are somewhere in the murky middle.
Premier Christy Clark was cited several times on the enemies' list, as far as the pipeline protesters are concerned. But that stems from the games she's been playing in trying to negotiate a way through to seeing the pipeline approved with a clear majority of public support. She wants all environmental worries covered and a much bigger share of the benefits in order to win a clear majority of support for the project.
It simply isn't going to happen. With the five conditions laid down last summer and the tougher stance taken lately as an intervener in the review process, Clark is moving steadily into the No camp as far as the Enbridge line is concerned.
But when she gets there, of course, she'll find the ground has already been occupied by the NDP for months. So there won't be much of an advantage.
Just So You Know: Favorite sign from the demonstration: "How many times do the hippies have to be right before we listen?"
lleyne@timescolonist.com
