It’s time for British Columbians to raise voices
Residents can back both the economy and the environment, John Weston says.
I’m a proud British Columbian but would be ashamed to show my face in Calgary today.
Firstly, we are looking like selfish navel-gazers, mindless of the fortunes of fellow Canadians. In the case of Albertans, the jobs we threaten relate to people who have for decades borne a disproportionate percentage of Canada’s financial burden. Can’t we find a way help our countrywomen and countrymen without harming ourselves?
That question leads to the second point, that pipeline opponents appear to reject out of hand even the most stringent environmental protections. Those of us who advocate for B.C.’s splendid environment should be able to find some world-class environmental protection standards in which we can put our faith. Few places in the world have the protections that we have, to guard against petroleum spills, on land or at sea. The environment is the economy; we can stand for both.
The third disheartening aspect of the pipeline debate is the debilitating nature of government leaders who make up the rules as they go along. Kinder Morgan has seen the other two large pipeline projects die — Northern Gateway and Energy East. The company has witnessed the paralysis of LNG projects on the West Coast. It has still agreed to 157 difficult conditions and negotiated agreements with 43 Indigenous communities along its route. Remember, this is to develop a pipeline most of which falls within the existing right-of-way. If a government such as the one in Victoria can reverse such daunting approval processes, what investment is safe? Even a left-leaning prime minister and left-leaning Alberta premier understand this fundamental truth — add enough uncertainty and investment capital flees.
A fourth disconcerting point is the most ironic. Those who disregard the importance of a robust economy will be the first to demand higher, more expensive environmental controls, social benefits, and health care. Funded by whom?
As ever, a small minority of belligerent protesters seize the lion’s share of media coverage. What can those of us British Columbians do to raise our voices, who welcome investment in our province, who want jobs for ourselves and our kids, who respect the rule of law, and who care about the interests of Albertans and other Canadians as well as our own?
The majority of British Columbians understand pipelines are safer than trucks or trains in transporting petroleum. There’s every reason to believe we can develop our resources responsibly and protect our environment in a world-class way.
Indigenous leaders’ consultation has been extensive and Kinder Morgan claims it has agreement from 43 Indigenous communities. Pipeline protesters now claim that any First Nation which withholds support should be able to block the project. Such thinking effectively condemns any project to failure in the absence of unanimous consent, an unheard-of approval level in any democracy, totally unworkable in a 21st-century economy.
In my experience, most British Columbians share the Four E’s:
We’re proud of our Environment, and keen to protect it;
We stand up for our Economy because it provides us health care, education, and other ingredients of our high quality of life;
We promote the Empowerment of Indigenous people;
And we want an Effective federation, one where governments work co-operatively for the benefit of all Canadians.
Unfortunately, it’s typically those who oppose an initiative who come out to protest. So maybe it’s time we who believe in the Four Es raise our voices. I encountered a fledgling organization that seeks to give voice to people with the characteristics listed above. Have a look at Resourceworks, not a company nor a political party, but a group that is trying to give voice to counterbalance the naysayers. Any concerned citizen should have a look at its Citizen’s Guide to Tanker Safety and Spill Response on the British Columbia South Coast.