04) THOUSANDS TO SIT-IN AT B.C. LEGISLATURE

PV Vancouver Bureau

     The tide of public opinion keeps rising against Big Oil's plans for more tar sands tankers and pipelines on the west coast. In the latest development, thousands of people from across Canada have already signed up for a mass sit-in on the lawn of the B.C. legislature in Victoria.

     Set for Monday, October 22, the peaceful civil disobedience action is patterned on similar protests held last year in Washington, DC, and in Ottawa. More details will be released shortly.

     The protest is being pulled together by the "Defend Our Coast" coalition, which is sharply critical of B.C. Premier Christy Clark and PM Stephen Harper.

     Over the summer, Clark began a timid retreat from her government's earlier de facto support for the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline proposal. The premier is now talking about putting a price on the west coast, saying that B.C. will back the project if the province gets a share of the profits.

     Clark's position won some support from British Columbians who wonder why they should accept most of the risk from tar sands pipelines and tankers, while receiving little economic benefit.

     But recent polls show that some 60% of B.C. residents oppose the Northern Gateway proposal, and about 50% are now against a plan by Kinder Morgan to twin its existing pipeline, which goes from Alberta through the Fraser Valley to Burnaby.

     Opposition has been strongest among First Nations across the province, as well as in communities along the tar sands routes. Now, the deadly consequences of a potential disaster have become widely known in the Lower Mainland, where the Kinder Morgan plan would see tanker shipments jump dramatically.

     Public anger has also been fanned by Stephen Harper's Tories, whose clumsy attempts to stifle any voices of opposition against tar sands expansion have backfired in this province.

     The Legislature occupation plan was announced on Sept. 12 by over 80 influential leaders from the business, First Nations, environmental, labour, academic, medical and artistic communities across Canada.

     "There are moments in history when it's clear that our elected leaders are failing us and it is necessary to take a stand," said environmentalist Tzeporah Berman. "Today we are stating our intention to defend our coast and calling on others to join us. The risk of oil spills and irreversible harm to our tourism and fishing industries from these pipelines and tankers is just too great."

     Other initial endorsers included Stephen Lewis, David Suzuki, Maude Barlow, Naomi Klein, Tom Goldtooth, David Coles, Vandana Shiva, Bill McKibben, John O'Connor, and Tony Clarke.

     "We're meeting in Victoria to show that you can't gut Canada's environmental legislation and try to put a price tag on the B.C. coast without a public response," said Maude Barlow, Chairperson for the Council of Canadians. "Canada's iconic coast is far too valuable to risk on tar sands pipelines and tankers and we pledge to defend it."

     "This October, we pledge to defend our coast and the mountains, rivers, forests, wildlife and First Nations communities of B.C. against tar sands pipelines and tankers," said Susan Spratt, Western Regional Director of the CAW. "We want long‑term green jobs that will take us beyond fossil fuels, not short‑term high risk pipelines."

     "We hope people from all walks of life and from across the country join us in Victoria and defend the natural beauty and cultural richness of the B.C. coastline," said Chief Jackie Thomas, of the Saik'uz First Nation south of Vanderhoof. "We will be there to show the widespread opposition to tar sands pipelines and tanker proposals and to show the strength of the support for First Nations people's rights to land and title and the internationally protected right to free, prior and informed consent on any development impacting our traditional territories."

     (Sign up online at www.defendourcoast.ca to participate and become a coastal defender. People's Voice editor Kimball Cariou and other PV supporters will be among those at the Victoria sit-in.)

(The above article is from the October 1-15, 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.)