It only takes one visit to the community of Hartley Bay to understand why the Gitga’at and other Coastal First Nations have declared a ban on oil tankers in the Great Bear Rainforest.
On my first visit, back in 2008, I was invited to a feast in the bighouse. The table was loaded with the ocean’s bounty, delicacies you simply can’t buy in a grocery store. There was salmon, of course, as well as halibut, herring roe, chiton, oolichans, smoked sea lion and seaweed. The seaweed was so delicious I asked around, wondering if I could buy some to take home. The next morning I was given a big bag. The woman wouldn’t accept my money, but in return, she said, I can help them stop the tankers.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the time to visit Hartley Bay last year. His visit seems to have made its mark, too, not just on him but on his new government.
Last Friday, our prime minister instructed key cabinet ministers to formalize the moratorium on crude-oil tanker traffic on B.C.’s north coast, a move welcomed by all British Columbians who have been speaking up to protect this precious coast and the cultures and jobs that depend on it.
Preventing crude-oil tanker traffic on the north coast will put an end to Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline, once and for all. This marks the culmination of a story that began in the 1960s, as communities opposed drilling for offshore oil, and with the tanker moratorium put in place by Pierre Trudeau’s government in 1972.
More recently, Liberal MP Joyce Murray introduced a bill to ban oil tankers in 2010. In saying no to Enbridge and oil tankers, British Columbians voted for a future where dinner can still be pulled from the ocean and rivers, a future with spirit bears, a future with alternative energy sources and a livable climate.
A permanent, legislated oil tanker ban for B.C.’s north coast is the surest way to provide clear and lasting protection from the threat of catastrophic oil spills for this spectacular, abundant part of the world. British Columbians look forward to seeing that legislation passed into law at the earliest opportunity.
Trudeau has also instructed ministers to overhaul Canada’s broken and discredited environmental-review process. This, on top of his campaign promise to reassess Kinder Morgan’s pipeline and tankers proposal, is a welcome move that will receive widespread support among British Columbians.
The current process is so biased and so contemptuous of British Columbians that it can never yield social licence or certainty. The Kinder Morgan assessment must be put on hold and can only be restarted once our broken review process is fixed.
A credible process needs to incorporate meaningful public participation. It needs to respect indigenous rights. And in keeping with recent statements by the new government, it needs to consider the greenhouse-gas emissions resulting from any given project. A “climate test” must be built into how we make decisions about energy infrastructure proposals.
Put simply, if the proposed project threatens our ability to meet emission targets, it cannot proceed.
Kinder Morgan would not only put at risk endangered orca and humpback populations, and the jobs, economy, recreational opportunities and property values of diverse coastal communities, the pipeline would also cause billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases to be spilled into the atmosphere over its lifetime.
The world’s eyes turn to Paris in a few short weeks. Global leaders, including Trudeau, will attempt to hammer out an agreement on desperately needed greenhouse-gas reductions. Trudeau needs to be able to show that Canada will do its part and is taking welcome steps in that direction.
British Columbians voted for real change on the environment and on climate. That means legislating an oil tanker ban on B.C.’s north coast and ensuring no energy infrastructure project gets the go-ahead without first passing a climate test.
Caitlyn Vernon of Victoria is campaigns director for Sierra Club B.C.
