Numerous groups send strong message of support for Oil Tanker Moratorium Act
Numerous groups send strong message of support for Oil Tanker Moratorium Act
SMITHERS, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Today a broad range of groups including northerners, Indigenous organizations, local governments, labour unions and environmental groups, are sending a strong message of support for Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.
Bill C-48, tabled for second reading on Monday, would prohibit any vessel carrying more than 12,500 tonnes of crude or persistent oil from using any port or marine installation on BC’s north coast in Hecate Strait, Dixon Entrance and Queen Charlotte Sound. The coalition of groups issued an open letter today applauding Bill C-48 and urging Parliamentarians to promptly pass a strong Oil Tanker Moratorium Act into law.
To view the open letter, click here or read below.
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For more information, please contact:
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip | President, Union of BC Indian Chiefs
250-490-5314
Gavin Smith | Staff Counsel, West Coast Environmental Law
778-882-4374, gsmith@wcel.org
Pat Moss | Friends of Wild Salmon Coalition
250-847-9693, pat@northwestinstitute.ca
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Hon. Marc Garneau
Minister of Transport
House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6
mintc@tc.gc.ca
October 3, 2017
Dear Minister Garneau,
Re: Support for Bill C-48
We write to express our strong support for the passage of Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.
Over many decades, most recently in opposition to the Enbridge Northern Gateway project, northern communities and Indigenous nations have repeatedly demonstrated a clear resolve to keep the waters of northern British Columbia permanently free from oil tankers.
We applaud the federal government for recognizing that the unique ecosystems and local economies of BC’s north coast must be protected from the risk of potentially devastating oil spills, and for clearly stating that the region is no place for oil tankers. The enactment of Bill C-48 will bring life to these statements through concrete federal action.
A number of signatories to this letter intend to engage in the Parliamentary Committee process to make constructive submissions on how Bill C-48 can be further strengthened. We look forward to seeing a strong Oil Tanker Moratorium Act promptly passed into law.
Sincerely,
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
Canadian Union of Postal Workers
City of Prince Rupert
Conservation Council of New Brunswick
David Suzuki Foundation
Dogwood Initiative
Douglas Channel Watch
East Coast Environmental Law
Ecology Action Centre
Fort St. James Sustainability Group
Friends of Morice Bulkley
Friends of Wild Salmon Coalition
Georgia Strait Alliance
Glasswaters Foundation
Haida Gwaii CoAST
Living Oceans Society
North West Watch
Pacific Wild
Prince Rupert District Teachers' Union, Local 52
Prince Rupert Environmental Society
Raincoast Conservation Foundation
Sea to Sands Conservation Alliance
Sierra Club of BC
Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition
Skeena Wild
Stand.Earth
Students for a Green University, UNBC
T. Buck Suzuki Foundation
Union of BC Indian Chiefs
United Fishermen & Allied Workers - UNIFOR
Watershed Sentinel Educational Society
West Coast Environmental Law Association
CC:
Hon. Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
Hon. James Carr, Minister of Natural Resources
Hon. Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Kelly Block, Conservative Party Transport Critic
Robert Aubin, New Democratic Party Transport Critic
Elizabeth May, Green Party Leader