PROTECTING OUR COAST
The announcement of a $1.5-billion plan to make our nation a “world leader” in ocean protection is tremendous news for all Canadians. Even those of us who don’t live near the water take tremendous pride in the beauty of the coastline and understand we have a duty to safeguard it from harm.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled the initiative on Monday, saying the money will be spent over five years to create a marine safety system, restore ocean ecosystems and research better methods to clean up oil spills.
The plan will be welcomed by supporters of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, which is awaiting a decision by Trudeau’s cabinet by Dec. 19.
B.C. Premier Christy Clark has insisted her government will not support new pipeline projects unless five conditions are met, including a “world leading” spill response regime.
Trudeau’s announcement would seem to meet Clark’s demand, but oddly, she replied “no” when asked whether the plan had met one of her requirements for approval of the Trans Mountain expansion.
“There’s so much devil in the details,” said the B.C. premier. “We’ve got a little more work to do, but I have to say, I have no cause for complaint with what we’ve seen today.”
It’s a good thing pipeline approvals aren’t up to Clark or other B.C. politicians who refuse to be reasonable when it comes to the need for Canada to get more of its oil to tidewater, so it can fetch a higher price. The lack of pipeline capacity is costing the national economy dearly, and it appears the Trudeau government acknowledges project approvals are in the best public interest. Sadly, there’s no persuading some special interest groups of the necessity of building pipelines.
“With a decision by the federal government about the Kinder Morgan pipeline project just around the corner, coastal ecosystem security should be front and centre,” said Jay Ritchlin, the David Suzuki Foundation’s director-general for Western Canada. “This government must say no to expanding fossil fuel infrastructure.”
The Trans Mountain pipeline has been operating for 60 years and boasts a spotless safety record, with not a single spill from tanker operations. That’s not true of other marine traffic, including a tug that ran aground last month on B.C.’s central coast, spilling more than 100,000 litres of diesel fuel from its tanks.
The initiatives announced by the prime minister are aimed at protecting our oceans and coastlines from the damage that can result from shipping and pollution.
The measures, with the promise of more to come, should not only satisfy B.C.’s premier, but appease professional complainers like those at the David Suzuki Foundation.