Suggested Action on the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline.

Dear Canadian Friends – 

            Late summer greetings to you all.

            Many of you are deeply concerned about the potential effects of the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline.  At Canadian Yearly Meeting August 11 – 18, 2012 a proposed letter that had been developed by Vancouver Island Friends was further seasoned by a Special Interest Group.  The related minute approved is pasted in below.

            You will note that you are asked to consider using this minute in writing to members of governments of British Columbia, Alberta and Canada to express your concern. 

            I have prepared a letter to The Secretary to the Joint Review Panel Enbridge Northern Gateway Project from Canadian Yearly Meeting which was faxed to them before their deadline, August 31, for submitting letters of concern.  You have a longer lead time to write to members of the various governments.  If you would like to read more details of the Review the following link should be useful.
 

http://gatewaypanel.review-examen.gc.ca/clf-nsi/prtcptngprcss/nfrmtnsssn/qckrfrncgd-eng.html

Thank you for whatever work you can take regarding this further threat to the Environment and the rights of First Nations in Canada.

In Friendship,

Carol Dixon,  Presiding Clerk – Canadian Yearly Meeting

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62. Report from the Special Interest Group on the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline proposal: 

The Special Interest Group asked Canadian Yearly Meeting to approve the following minute:

Canadian Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) opposes the development of the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline. This opposition is based on: 

•           far-reaching decisions being made for British Columbians and Albertans by the Canadian government that have ramifications for climate change and for the health and well-being of present and future generations;

•           solidarity with Indigenous Peoples regarding their sovereignty over their territories, as expressed in the Coastal First Nations Declaration and the Save the Fraser Declaration. Development should not take place on Indigenous territories without the free, prior and informed consent of the affected peoples. This principle is consistent with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous peoples’ rights and related government obligations under Canada’s constitution, and with Supreme Court jurisprudence that calls for consent on “very serious issues”;

•           high probability of devastating damage to major B.C. and Alberta rivers from pipeline disasters and the hazards to navigation for oil supertankers using the coastal port at Kitimat, B.C.;

•           unavoidable damage and destruction of B.C.’s unique habitats and ecosystems, including destruction of wildlife and loss of biodiversity at a time when all life forms, including human, are under extreme environmental threat;

•           inevitable decline of cultures, communities, and livelihoods which are sustained by the lands, rivers, and ocean waters of British Columbia.

We approve this minute and we approve forwarding it as soon as possible to:

•           the governments of BC, Alberta, and Canada;