Constituency rallies at Liberal MP offices began in late April and expected to continue ahead of key pipeline decision
Winnipeg, MB – This Friday, dozens of people are expected to rally at the Winnipeg office of federal Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, the same day that rallies are planned in Vancouver, Ottawa, Gatineau, Vernon, Kingston, and at the office of Transport Minister Marc Garneau in Montreal.
“From coast to coast, people don’t want our government to spend billions of dollars of public money bailing out some Texas oil executives,” Katie Perfitt, an Ottawa-based organizer with 350.org explained. “People don’t take up a cause like this unless they really, really care about something, and it’s clear that right now, a lot of people in Canada care a whole lot about climate change, Indigenous rights and stopping this dangerous pipeline.”=
A wave of similar rallies began after Kinder Morgan suspended non-essential pipeline spending, and reports emerged that the federal government may have rigged the Kinder Morgan review process. Fifteen actions have taken place since late April in cities from coast to coast, with many first time organizers hosting rallies in their communities.
“This issue is just too important to stay silent on,” Benjamin Stuart, a first time organizer and student who hosted a rally at the office of St. Catherine’s, ON MP Chris Bittle said. “Trudeau and his government need to recognize that this isn’t just a BC issue, climate action and Indigenous rights matter to people all across Canada.
Organizers expect more rallies in the coming days and weeks, and for the events to continue to grow in number and size ahead of Kinder Morgan’s annual general meeting in early May. To date, more than 30 actions have been registered at peoplevskindermorgan.ca.
“Kinder Morgan’s investors can see that the opposition to this project is only growing” Perfitt said. “Trudeau should think long and hard about how he wants to bet his political future.”
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Contact: Cameron Fenton, [email protected] , 604-369-2155