Nearly 200 people marched, chanted and joined hands in unity in Duncan Wednesday afternoon in opposition to a proposed pipeline project that will carry Alberta oil from the tar sands to the B.C. coast.
After a massive rally in Victoria Monday, Oct. 22, demonstrations at the community level reached MLA offices throughout the province. The valley gathering began at noon, on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at Cowichan Valley MLA Bill Routley’s constituency office on Trunk Road with speeches and songs, and then project protestors marched from there into downtown Duncan and assembled at MP Jean Crowder’s office on Ingram Street.
At Routley’s office, the demonstrators were very much preaching to the converted.
“We’re supportive of what your group is all about,’’ said the NDP’s Routley. “We’re absolutely opposed to what’s happening right now.’’
Many of the protestors assembling in Duncan had been to Monday’s demonstration in Victoria, calling it an amazing experience and empowering to see the cause gaining momentum. One person likened it to last year’s Occupy movement that spread from city to city.
“It was really inspiring to be there,’’ said Dr. Brenda Bernhardt of Lake Cowichan.
For Bernhardt, the protest against the pipeline is part of a larger issue, one she takes very much to heart. For her it ties into the health of the planet and the diversity of species that live alongside humanity, and the many issues spoken about by the 99 per cent movement.
“I showed up [to the rally] because I care,” said Bernhardt. “Depak Chopra says chaos always proceeds change, and I really hope that the change is dramatic and in a direction that’s sustainable and life giving.”
For Bernhardt, hope is a verb. “And if we’re not in action, then we’re just wishful thinking, and wishful thinking isn’t going to save this species.”
Like many others who joined the protest in Victoria on Oct. 22, and around the province on Oct. 24, Bernhardt is angry that the Harper government has no plans to allow a Parliamentary debate on the China Investment Treaty.
“We are in the midst of the largest mass extinction ever,” said Bernhardt. This reality is so impacting, she says she does not even know how to hold it in her mind.
“It’s necessary to have a biodiverse community and we’re cheating,” said Bernhardt. “We’re not playing fair, and we cannot, will not, get away with it. It’s not sustainable. So in the midst of all that, what are we doing? Are we coming together, are we rallying, are we making plans, are we turning around and facing things? No, we’re thinking about shipping the dirtiest oil on the entire planet across the most pristine country full of communities of amazing creatures and birds and trees and First Nations peoples, and sending it through a maze of islands and the graveyard of the Pacific on 400 yard long tankers to give it to China.”
But it’s not just grassroots movements and groups of concerned citizens that are worried about this deal. Elizabeth May, Green Party of Canada leader and MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands, is also worried and has been speaking out. She has requested an emergency debate, written articles, and has been working with other concerned MPs and mayors.
In a press release issued on Oct. 23, the Green Party said it wants to emphasize the fact that ratification without proper consultations with the provincial governments is contrary to the constitution.
“Under the Canadian Constitution, the federal government is incapable of unilaterally implementing international treaty obligations in areas that fall within provincial jurisdiction. Nor is it acceptable for the federal government to use its treaty-making powers to do an end run around the federal-provincial division of powers or in a way that diminishes Canadian federalism and democracy,” states the press release.
“These are exactly the kind of issues the Green Party of Canada has been raising since the Conservatives quietly tabled the treaty on Sept. 26. We are the only party in Ottawa opposed to the treaty. Our online petition against ratification has been signed by 22,637 citizens,” said May.
Until Nov. 1, you can still have your say on the issue. Go to greenparty.ca to find information on petitions and other forms of action.
—With notes from Cowichan News Leader Pictorial
