ADAM OLSEN -- In an incredibly cynical move, the federal government tied increased marine response and oil spill preparedness to the approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline

Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North & the Islands

The Canadian Government has approved the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project ... again. For the past five years, I have participated in the National Energy Board's (NEB) Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion regulatory hearings.

I intervened in the process as an individual member of the W̱SÁNEĆ people, and throughout I expressed my deep concern about the considerable flaws that left our territory vulnerable to a devastating spill of diluted bitumen. From the beginning, Trans Mountain and the federal government showed a lack of consideration about the marine shipping component of the project. It's always been an afterthought.

Last summer, the Courts quashed the approval in part because of this shoddy work.

The Canadian Government's record on providing the oil spill preparation, prevention and response is dismal.

Represent!

I'm now the Member of the Legislative Assembly in Saanich North and the Islands. I represent in the British Columbia Legislature a large portion of the Salish Sea most vulnerable to a shipping accident or malfunction. This issue is now more than personal. It's my responsibility to stand up and speak on behalf of the people and place I represent.

The Canadian Government's reputation for marine response leaves a lot to be desired. The Oceans Protection Plan is little more than a marketing exercise in response to criticism. I've spoken with my American counterparts and they complain about our lackadaisical attitude.

Languishing response

It's not just our regulatory process that causes them distress. Our government has failed to provide adequate dedicated resources to rapidly respond to a crisis on the water. When a Russian freighter, the Simashur, lost power near Haida Gwaii in 2014, it was an American tug, the Barbara Foss from Alaska, that was first to make it to the scene.

If a similar incident occurred today in the Salish Sea, it would likely be the Jeffrey Foss from Neah Bay that would be called in to advert disaster. Since the Simashur, we have seen a lack of coordination in addressing the MV Marathassa spill in English Bay in 2015 and heard first hand accounts of the utter confusion on the water in response to the Nathan E. Stewart spill in 2016 near Bella Bella, BC.

In an incredibly cynical move, the federal government tied increased marine response and oil spill preparedness to the approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline. If we wanted our coast protected, we had to accept an increased threat. There was an even more cynical move made by the federal government.

When the Court overturned the approval last summer, they put the plans to increase our response capability on hold. I think Washington State Senator Reuven Carlyle characterized the actions of our federal government best when talking about the Salish Sea cultural connection between our neighbouring jurisdictions: "That’s why there is such deep sadness by what many of us see as a lack of grace and dignity in the national government in Canada toward this shared, precious resource."

Unmitigatable

Tension in the debate about pipelines and the future of fossil fuel development in Western Canada is increasing.

My deep concerns about the shortcomings of the regulatory process remain unresolved.

The primary focus of the federal government was always to get to yes. So, there was little chance that the regulatory process was ever going to fairly consider the project in its entirety.

The proponents have never been willing to look at the accumulative impacts of the proposal. Instead they break it into pieces and mitigate each one individually.

The federal government has mishandled every aspect of this project. When Kinder Morgan sensed the political stakes were too great for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to back away, they forced the federal government to buy the aging pipeline and own the steaming regulatory mess they had created for the expansion.

Decarbonization

When I started writing this post, I had intended to focus on the global climate crisis. I was going to highlight the impact of continuing to invest in expanding fossil fuel infrastructure. Especially, at a time when we need to be in rapid transition to a decarbonized economy. The issues that have instead captured my imagination once again this morning speak to a major deficit of leadership and governance in our country.

At the same time as the federal government was preparing to announce another massive public subsidy of the oil and gas industry, politicians in the House of Commons were debating and supporting Environment Minister Catherine McKenna's motion declaring a national climate emergency.

The cognitive dissonance, check that, the shear hypocrisy, is astounding.

The Government of Canada continues to fail British Columbia. Specifically, the interests of Saanich North and the Islands, the people and place I am elected to represent. Their interests have been minimized and neglected.

Approved! (again)

On Tuesday, the federal government approved the Trans Mountain pipeline for the second time. However, this project is still a long way from being built.

"The cabinet accepted all of the 156 conditions and took, according to officials, the "unprecedented step" of actually amending six of those NEB conditions to "make them stronger and better," including strengthened marine and emergency response plans with far more Indigenous participation." CBC News

When it comes to these promises it is hard to believe a government whose track record is so dismal. A commitment to creating a good plan is a far cry from making the substantial investment in the assets needed to protect our coast from the impact of all aspects of the shipping industry.

It remains to be seen if they back up their rhetoric with action.

Adam Olsen ... is a Green Party Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Saanich North and the Islands. Born in Victoria, BC in 1976, Adam has lived, worked and played his entire life on the Saanich Peninsula. He is a member of Tsartlip First Nation (W̱JOȽEȽP), where he and his wife, Emily, are raising their two children, Silas and Ella.