With the fate of the proposed New Prosperity copper and gold mine simultaneously in the hands of Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq and the federal court, one opposition MP believes the approval process for natural resources projects has become far too political.
"When you want to make your case you have to make it to politicians more than you do to any independent panel," Skeena-Bulkley Valley NDP MP Nathan Cullen said Friday in a conference call with regional media. "[Prime Minister] Stephen Harper has taken that panel's authority away when he's made everything about politics, this is kind of what everyone has to do."
Cullen was responding to a question about all the lobbying that has been taking place in recent weeks surrounding Taseko's plan to build the New Prosperity mine near Williams Lake. An environmental review panel raised concerns last year, but the company is challenging those findings in court. At the same time, Aglukkaq must make a recommendation to cabinet later this month.
Delegations in support of the project, including one by provincial Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett last month and another this week by the Say Yes to Prosperity Group, have spoken with federal representatives about the merits of the project. Opponents, including the Tsilhqot'in National Government, have been equally vocal about their concerns about the mine plan.
Both sides have been making their case publicly as well as behind closed doors with Members of Parliament.
Cariboo-Prince George MP Dick Harris, an outspoken supporter of New Prosperity, said the environmental review process worked as it was designed and it's natural for those involved to bring their arguments forward.
"That's what I do, I represent the people of Cariboo-Prince George and that includes Williams Lake and out in the Chilcotins and it's my opinion that this project, if it ever gets up and running, will be a huge stimulant to the lagging economy in that area for the next 30 or 35 years," he said. "You can bet I'm going to do whatever I possibly can to ensure that my government has all of the possible input that they can accept from the representative from that area."
Cullen said he'd rather see the focus kept on the science behind the environmental assessment, rather than the views of the politicians.
"It's unfortunate yet it's a known reality from those that deal with these issues that you have to get the ear of the politicians," he said. "It just seems to be a real tough way to make these big decisions based more on the politics rather than the science and the facts."
But Harris said the facts of the case are in dispute, with Taseko saying Natural Resources Canada provided evidence on seepage rates from the tailings pond based on the incorrect mine design and the Tsilhqot'in National Government claiming the review was done correctly. He said it's important for the government to hear those arguments so it can make an informed decision.
Harris also noted that Cullen himself has been outspoken about projects he feels strongly about, most notably the proposal by Northern Gateway to connect northern Alberta's oilsands with Kitimat.
"It's almost laughable some of the comments Cullen makes because he does exactly the same thing," Harris said. "He's all over the country talking about how the Northern Gateway can't be built because the people in his riding don't want it. Give me a break."
