The environment needs to be protected, however, environmental protection should not be the blindered, intolerant, religious cult it has become

Liberals will bow to court ruling, launch review of Trans Mountain oil tanker traffic impact

Amanda Connolly ~~ Global News ~~ September 21, 2018

The Liberals will bow to a federal court ruling and proceed with a review of how increased tanker traffic from the proposed Trans Mountain pipeline expansion could impact marine ecosystems on the Pacific coast.

Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi made the announcement from Halifax on Friday morning and said the plan is to have the additional review completed within the next five months. However, he did not provide any updated timeline on when construction on the controversial project could begin.

“Let me assure you. This government is committed to protecting our oceans and coastlines,” he said, noting updates on the timeline of the project will come within the next few weeks when the government announces how it plans to fulfill the Federal Court’s requirement for it to properly consult with Indigenous peoples. 

“That will be part of the next step that we will be announcing shortly.”

Soji is right on one major point – this government needs to be committed, as it makes the Keystone Cops look like paragons of organization and effectiveness.

The tall foreheads in short pants in the Prime Ministers Office think that environmental legislation is separate from real world economics, investments, GDP growth, our cost of living, attracting entrepreneurs and running an attractive, secure and stable nation.

These idiots wrote environmental law so complex, and convoluted, they could not follow it themselves.

Justin Trudeau’s government is not bowing to anything. They are complying with a court ruling that they must follow the inane environmental law amendments they themselves pushed through parliament. Pretending that the courts are somehow to blame is ridiculous. Complying with the ruling is easy as rescinding Bill C-69 which amended the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and caused the current idiocy.

Were you aware that the $4.5 billion spent on purchase of Trans Mountain, from Kinder Morgan, could have purchased a fleet of ocean-going tugs to help tankers navigate our waters safely.  It also could have upgraded our Coast Guard fleet on BC’s west coast, along with upgrading our contamination / spill fighting facilities to world class levels --- for less than half the cost.

The environment needs to be protected, however, environmental protection should not be the blindered, intolerant religious cult it has become. When environmental protection law and protest strangles our economy, costs of billions in investments, costs us tens of thousands of jobs and increases our costs of living, we must ask what are environmentalists protecting?

Environmental protection law that is not in harmony with the needs of our society, allowing it to grow and thrive, is a form of national suicide by government decree.

We need to show this government what protests are all about. We need to get together, protest and hound them out of office whenever and wherever they set foot outside Ottawa.

We can give them the headlines they crave, in ways they never expected.  Gerald Butts, Chrystia Freeland, Bill Morneau, Katie Telford, and Justin Trudeau LLP … all are masters of nation wrecking.

John Feldsted

Political Consultant & Strategist

Winnipeg, Manitoba