Protesting the pipeline

We've only been back a couple of days--not even enough time to get over our jet lag--but yesterday morning we attended a protest rally at the provincial Legislature buildings.

We joined about 3,500 others standing in the wind and rain squalls to send a strong message to the Canadian government that a pipeline through our province and  oil tankers full of dirty oil on our coast are not acceptable.

I was happy to see people of all ages and walks of life standing together to make a strong statement about this.  The Canadian government is trying to ram this project through over the protests of all the Native Tribal Groups and all the municipalities in our province, ignoring the wishes of 80 per cent of the people in British Columbia.  And they have to be stopped. 

This protest was organized by a group called Defend Our Coast and they've done a really good job of getting people together to make their views known.

After speeches by Native leaders, politicians, environmental groups, and union leaders, a line of people walked across the front of the Legislature carrying a long black banner.  The banner was the length of the proposed super tankers that would be plying our coastal waters if this insanity proceeds.  The length of it was 235 meters long or 770 feet. That's nearly 1/5 of a mile!  It was a graphic demonstration of just how large these tankers would be.  

Can you imagine what happens to a tanker that size in a storm?  Can you imagine what would happen to our coast if one breaks up?  And the provincial government as well as the Canadian government are setting aside environmental regulations and making secret deals with China to push this through.

I think this banner says it very clearly! We've seen enough examples of what happens when oil spills have taken place along the coast in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. Here's hoping we can get this insanity stopped and start moving Canada away from our addiction to fossil fuels.