The Senate Transportation Committee's vote not to pass Bill C48 to ban tankers off B.C.'s north coast, a move effectively helping kill a piece of legislation by our elected government, was not as surprising as some might think. Many senators on the committee had already made up their minds before the redundant review of the bill began.
Sen. Dennis Patterson penned an editorial just as the hearings kicked off in Prince Rupert denouncing the bill, which was in line with the aggressive tone many of his conservative colleagues expressed publicly about the validity of the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act in favour of the oil and gas sector. Even Alberta independent Senators Elaine McCoy and Paula Simons expressed opposition and concerns during the hearings.
Those sentiments echoed well-funded organizing by the likes of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and oil companies who lobbied hard to quash the tanker ban legislation. Most notably, Eagle Spirit Energy, a company registered in the tax haven Virgin Islands that wants to build a massive oil sands export facility near Prince Rupert, increased its lobbying efforts exponentially and managed to have multiple members secure limited spots to present when hearings finally started.
Despite positions made public, the Senate voted on spending more tax dollars to hold hearings in northwestern B.C. and oil rich Alberta and Saskatchewan.
But what we heard at the senate hearings in Prince Rupert and Terrace in April were passionate reminders of why we need to ensure our coasts and in land watersheds will never be at risk from catastrophic oil spills.
Coastal First Nations spoke about how Indigenous communities have been stewards and managing coastal resources sustainably for thousands of years. How many still rely on harvesting traditional foods from the ocean and how their vision for a conservation based economy with projects like Coastal Shellfish, a new CFN industry growing millions of scallops for a worldwide market, are just being realized.
Joel Starlund, who spoke for the Gitanyow First Nation, said that 90 per cent of their members still rely heavily on wild salmon for sustenance purposes and is a huge economic driver in the community and the Skeena region.
Community representatives highlighted the importance of clean water and wild salmon to all residents. Salmon are the lifeblood of the coastal communities and the Skeena watershed. Wild salmon stocks are already in crisis due to climate change. We live in a pristine ecologically sensitive region of the country that is still absent of oil pipelines and tanker ports, and for good reason. This is a salmon nation and we'd like to keep it that way, for the interests of all Canadians.
The fact is this bill should be law by now, but it isn't. All thanks to the Red Chamber, at what appears to be an emerging trend. In 2017, Conservative senators obstructed the passing of Bill C-210, which would see a change in the language of O Canada to be gender neutral. The bill was held up for nearly a year-and-a-half because of partisan politics, but eventually did pass.
Bill C-337, however, introduced by former interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose, which would require judges to undergo sexual assault education before being called to the bench has yet to pass, nearly two years since it passed through the House of Commons. Although it had strong support from all parties in the House, it was referred to committee once it reached the Senate in May 2018. It remains in committee.
Ironically one of the senators on the transportation committee, former pollster Donna Dasko, found that most Canadians hold a negative view of the Senate with many finding them "a pointless waste of money." But it's worse than that. They're now rewriting legislation and preventing the passage of laws that went through our democratically elected government. And The Tanker Moratorium Act, as well as several other bills such as the Fisheries Act and the Impact Assessment Act, may all face a similar fate if the Senate doesn't move fast enough and pass these bills before the summer recess and the October general election when all bills will die.
These are vital pieces of legislation that will protect sensitive environments and provide First Nations and coastal communities with greater economic certainty. The consequences of a major oil spill pose unacceptable risk to the livelihoods and people of the coast and watershed.
For nearly 34 years, there has been a voluntary oil tanker moratorium on the north and central coast. It's time to formalize that moratorium into law and not let partisan politics and high priced lobbyists get in the way of our democratic processes. The pristine coastal ecosystems and marine life of B.C.'s Great Bear Rainforest can't be found anywhere else on the planet. We need the rest of the Senate to vote in favour of Bill C-48 to secure its future and respect Canadian voters.
-- Greg Knox is the executive director of the SkeenaWild Conservation Trust
