FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sierra Club BC Associate Director and Campaigns Director Shelley Luce offers the following statement:

“The Ottawa-Alberta memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed this morning should be seen for what it really is — an attempt to spin a narrative for a pipeline with no route, no proponent and no support from Coastal First Nations. A non-binding memorandum of understanding, with zero consultation with First Nations or the government of B.C., carries no weight in the discussion of Canada’s energy future. Thousands of British Columbians have spoken up in support of the Oil Tanker Moratorium on B.C.’s north coast and in opposition to a new pipeline across the province. The Coastal First Nations coalition has issued a strong joint statement reiterating that they will never allow oil tankers in the waters that they rely on for jobs, food security and a thriving tourism and fisheries economy.   
 
“The federal government’s closed-door negotiations with the Premier of Alberta do not serve the people of B.C., First Nations or Canada. This meaningless MOU is a transparent political ploy that holds no water with the people actually impacted by pipelines and oil spills — the First Nations who have stewarded these lands for millennia, and the thousands in B.C. who want to protect the North Coast. The thriving north coast economy relies on clean water and healthy ecosystems for sustainable, made-in-B.C. jobs that contribute $1.77 billion to B.C.’s economy. The Hecate Strait is the most dangerous body of water in Canada where waves can reach 60 feet high. It is ludicrous to imagine tankers loaded with crude oil travelling through there. The question of a deadly oil spill would not be if, but when. 
 
“The MOU is a political strategy designed to make an Alberta pipeline to the coast seem like a done deal. But it is not. It’s a distraction from the kinds of nation-building projects Canadians actually want — clean energy that protects the environment while creating lasting jobs and revenues. Canadians deserve better than a manufactured mandate disguised as a national plan.”

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