Dear Sir:
Last week’s paper treated Terrace Standard subscribers to yet another expensive full page advertisement for the Northern Gateway Pipeline, introducing Janet Holder and talking about how she will be sharing details behind a number of the Joint Review Panel’s 209 conditions over the coming weeks.
The page was headed “As a proud British Columbian, protecting our coast is one of our greatest priorities.”
Who in this sentence is the proud British Columbian? Does this singular noun modify the verbal “protecting” or the possessive plural pronoun “our”?
Or is Janet Holder merely assuming Crown prerogative and using the Royal Our? I know of many First Nations who would be alarmed by this, especially in view of Northern Gateway’s dismal attempt to fulfill the Crown’s duty to consult.
One of the common traits I have observed in petroleum industry executives is their inability to communicate with precision, a failing which causes misunderstandings that severely detract from the effectiveness of their message.
Chris Peter, Prince George, BC
