08) C-38 A TURNING POINT, SAYS GRAND CHIEF PHILLIP

     One of the most powerful voices against the federal omnibus budget Bill C-38 has been Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC).

     "Bill C‑38 is absolutely the turning point in the history of this country and the fault line that will determine the future of this country," Grand Chief Phillip told reporters at a Vancouver media conference convened on June 4 by prominent environmental groups. "I urge all Canadians to go and understand that silence is not an option. We all have a duty and an obligation to our grandchildren and their grandchildren to speak out against this legislation."

     "We shall not be intimidated," said Grand Chief Phillip. "We shall not be coerced by the Harper's government's drive‑by smear campaigns, those campaigns that are being mounted by his cronies in industry and big oil. We will stand strongly with other Canadians shoulder‑to‑shoulder to defend the pristine beauty of this country."

     Jessica Clogg, executive director and senior counsel with West Coast Environmental Law - one of the key groups which organized the BlackOutSpeakOut, told reporters that "Today is a profound moment in the history of our nation for those who hold dear this vast, beautiful land and the democracy that binds us together."

     Another participant was David Suzuki, speaking as a private citizen and an "elder". Suzuki urged Canadians to make enough noise that the federal Conservatives back down on some of the legislation, which he said will affect everything from fisheries habitat to the Enbridge Pipeline to the tar sands and the amount of tanker traffic moving through Metro Vancouver.

     Former Conservative fisheries minister John Fraser said the bill should be split into several parts and debated separately - a view backed by Stephen Harper in 2004 while he was in opposition when the minority Liberal government introduced their own omnibus bill.

     Introduced by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty on March 29, Bill C-38's 450 pages affect everything from Canada's withdrawal from Kyoto to the federal Environmental Assessment process and the Fisheries Act, as well as social policies such as Employment Insurance and pensions.

     "I actually get the feeling that they are a little bit nervous about how the public's reacting to the gutting of the Fisheries Act," Gwen Barlee, policy director with the Wilderness Committee, told the Georgia Straight after the event. "I think that is a good thing."

     (With files from the Georgia Straight)

(The above article is from the June 16-30, 2012, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)