Ottawa, Canada — This afternoon Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr assessment process for proposed pipelines that the Trudeau administration says it hopes will, “restore the confidence of Canadians in pipelines and other energy projects.”
“Rather than end Stephen Harper’s pipeline reviews, this government has slapped on a new coat of paint and kicked the can on a real climate test down the road,” said Cameron Fenton, 350.org’s Canadian Tar Sands Organizer.
Over the last year, 350.org has pushed for a real climate review of all proposed pipelines, including the Kinder Morgan and Energy East pipelines. Thousands of Canadians have signed up to give climate comments at Energy Board hearings on the projects.
“A climate test on pipelines is only meaningful if it respect the commitment to 1.5ºC that Prime Minister Trudeau made in Paris, and that would mean taking pipelines and tar sands expansion off the table. There’s no such thing as a climate friendly pipeline. The science is crystal clear: in order to prevent catastrophic climate change, fossil fuels, and especially tar sands, need to stay in the ground. Any ‘review’ that concludes you can build more tar sands infrastructure is nothing more than a greenwashing exercise.”
A proper review process must also fully respect Indigenous Peoples rights, said Clayton Thomas-Muller, 350.org’s Stop it at the Source Campaigner.
“This move will increase, not decrease, public opposition to new pipeline projects, because any proper review process will clearly show the damage these pipelines present to our climate and communities, especially those on the frontlines of tar sands extraction,” said Thomas-Muller. “This is a real test of this government’s commitments to uphold the rights of Indigenous Peoples. At the heart of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is the right to free, prior and informed consent. That means Indigenous Peoples have the right to say ‘No’ when it comes to projects like pipelines and its responsibility of the government to listen.”
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Contact:
Cameron Fenton, [email protected], 604-369-2155