Dear Sir:
I agree with Stephen Harper’s statement that the Northern Gateway project is a no brainer, he is right, only someone with no brain, would support this idea. To use precious water and the cleanest fuel known to man to extract one of the dirtiest fuels and then to ship it overseas without refining, boggles the mind.
We are not doing this so I can put a little diesel in my Volkswagen, but instead we are planning to transport it across mountains and rivers and then ship it across the world to the good Communists in China.
(not to be confused with the bad Communists in Cuba that we will not have anything to do with because our American friends tell us so). The Chinese need the tar-sand product to process the logs we also send them and employ some 12 year olds at 20 cents an hour to produce everything we and our pets consume, poison toys etc.
I have just spent a couple of days along with a substantial group of people from all walks of life, who are naive enough to believe that democracy still exist in Canada, and that we might have any impact on whether or not the Northern Gateway Project goes ahead.
The Harper government has declared war on environmentalists accusing us of money laundering, receiving money from some American Socialist Billionaires calling my M.P., my son and grandchildren terrorists and traitors.
Here are my reasons for believing that this madness cannot be stopped by peaceful and legal means:
– China has given Enbridge $10 million walk-around-money and bought a two billion chunk of the Tar sands, they obviously have assurance they will get the oil.
– The province has agreed to let the federal government make all decisions.
-Mr. Harper has “streamlined” the hearing process.
-The Harper Government is relaxing conditions on bringing in foreign workers and decided that they will be paid 15% less.
-Enbridge is prepared to accept Chinese contractor’s bids on pipeline construction.
-Legislation is being passed that give the Federal Cabinet the power to decide on the Enbridge proposal, without regard to people’s wishes or recommendations from the committee they appointed. (ie. 4-5 people from a party that got elected by 39% of the voters has absolute control over the destiny of the people of B.C. – You will only find this kind of scenario in Banana Republic’s)
-If you are counting on Justice from the courts consider this; Stephen Harper has appointed 4 out of 9 Supreme Court Justices, could be five by the time any court actions take place.
-Remember the senate (?), the folks with a sober second look; Remember Mr. Harper who fought for and promised Senators will be elected, well, by now he has appointed 45.
Does facing this deceitful stacked-deck mean that we should give up and bend over? Not on your life, we need to keep on keeping on.
John Jensen, Terrace, BC
