Here, ladies and gentlemen, are your Conservative MPs and their contacts:
Edward Fast – Abbotsford ed@edfast.ca
Dick Harris – Cariboo – Prince George Harris.R@parl.gc.ca
Mark Strahl – Chilliwack – Fraser Canyon mark.strahl@parl.gc.ca
Kerry Lynne Findlay – Delta – Richmond East MP Kerry-Lynne.Findlay@parl.gc.ca
Nina Grewal – Fleetwood – Port Kells Grewal.N@parl.gc.ca
Cathy McLeod – Kamloops – Thompson – Cariboo McLeod.C@parl.gc.ca
Ron Cannan – Kelowna – Lake Country ron.cannan@parl.gc.ca
David Wilks – Kootenay – Columbia David.wilks@parl.gc.ca
Mark Warawa – Langley Warawa.M@parl.gc.ca
James Lunney – Nanaimo – Alberni Lunney.J@parl.gc.ca
Andrew Saxton – North Vancouver Saxton.A@parl.gc.ca
Dan Albas – Okanagan – Coquihalla http://www.danalbas.com/contact-dan.html
Colin Mayes – Okanagan – Shuswap Mayes.C@parl.gc.ca
Randy Kamp – Pitt Meadows – Maple Ridge – Mission Kamp.R@parl.gc.ca
James Moore – Port Moody – Westwood – Port Coquitlam Moore.J@parl.gc.ca
Bob Zimmer – Prince George – Peace River Bob.Zimmer@parl.gc.ca
Alice Wong – Richmond Wong.A@parl.gc.ca
Russ Hiebert – South Surrey – White Rock – Cloverdale Info@RussHiebert.ca
John Duncan – Vancouver Island North Duncan.J@parl.gc.ca
Wai Young – Vancouver South info@waiyoung.ca
Otto Langer is a highly respected fisheries expert who had a long distinguished career with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and got fed up with the politicization of the DFO. He was hardly alone – back in the early 90s at the time of the Kemano II fight, there were a number of DFO officers who left DFO by early retirement, being shuffled elsewhere, denied a deserved promotion, etc. One of them, Dr. Gordon Hartman (who like Otto Langer is an honoured contributor with the Common Sense Canadian) during the Kemano II scrap, along with several of his colleagues, gave those in the trenches the ammunition they needed. Alcan called them the “dissident scientists”, a sobriquet they wore with pride.
That time was when the reigning Tories, Mulroney the PM and Thomas Siddon Minister of Fisheries refused to hold public hearings mandated by statute, ignored a condemnatory report by DFO scientists, and gave the Alcan project the go-ahead. The DFO has never been the same and let me give you a glaring example: the DFO is mandated to protect our Pacific Salmon and at the same time is mandated to shill for fish farms!
Mr. Langer has received and made public the news that under the Budget Omnibus Bill, the Fisheries Act will no longer protect fish habitat! You can read the statement from Langer that touched off this controversy here. Not only are they putting fish habitat in the hands of the pipeline builders and other despoilers of fish habitat, they are trying to slip this through in an omnibus bill to avoid a full debate.
These are the same bastards that have already privately approved the Enbridge pipeline by super tankers down our coast through the most perilous passage in the world.
No, it’s true that the policy has not yet been approved, but every utterance by Minister Joe Oliver and the Prime Minister has made it clear that they regard the Federal-Provincial Environmental Assessment process as a waste of time and that they should get done with it as soon as possible. They know that the BC government won’t raise a finger because the Clark government is grovelling and ass-kissing through the Prime Minister’s office over the $1.6 billion we owe the feds over the bungled HST mess. The Federal government also supports the Independent Power Producers destruction of our rivers with amendments to the Navigable Waters Act and, yes, with money. West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country voters ought to ask their MP John Weston why he gave a nice bit of change to Plutonic Power (General Electric in drag) to help them ruin our rivers.
And, of course, the federal government supports the fish farms that are the ruination of our Pacific Salmon, the very soul of the province.
Read those names, ladies and gentlemen, and note that they, supposedly fellow citizens of BC, will destroy fish habitat, approve a ruinous pipeline by Enbridge through the Rockies, the Coast Range and the Great Bear Rain Forest, will fully support Oil tankers down the Inner Passage while increasing Tanker traffic through Vancouver Harbour, help big business ruin our rivers (made nice and easy with protection of habitat gone) and, like the barker in the amusement park, shill for giant Norwegian companies trashing our salmon with their fish farms.
There they are folks – the men and women you sent to Ottawa to look after our affairs.
For all those who wondered if Stephen Harper had a hidden agenda, this is no longer a question but a prophecy now fulfilled.
To suggest that the Fisheries Act has blocked development is a pathetic joke peddled by those who are willfully blind. Take a look at the tar sands, the run of river hydro etc. etc.
The only thing that the Fisheries Act has blocked are bad developments where the project is poorly designed and where sociopath business “leaders” see it as their right to plunder this great Country’s resources for their personal enrichment. There are plenty of good business who enrich themselves by designing and developing good projects. Those projects get approvals.
In ascending order of culpability ..
I will start with the low or mid level politicos that have been intimidated into supporting the fiasco.. I understand their livelihood dilemma though. But then we move up suddenly to Keith Hadfield, a maritimer who should know better or have some gumption. Oops, false assumption. The comes the resourceful environment assassin Joe Oliver, perhaps highly motivated but incredibly unaware of reality or resources. Then comes the chief french fry in the bizzare poutine.. Stephen Harper. Re-making Canada so we won’t recognize it. I just don’t quite remember that being a campaign promise. Do you ? I don’t recall that a single damn one of those liars said they would attack ‘fish habitat’ as extraneous and not worthy of Canada’s or environmental protection.
Rafe.. you are just a fresh breath of the best Canadian air, by the way.. I meant to point out this fact earlier. When a day seems lost or discouraging I can go to your site .. or the Tyee and get my bearings in the fog. Just a farm kid from Ontario, somewhat growed up.. that you can count on to understand the difference between a land, its people and values.. and a pack of looting full of their own bullshit liars in expensive suits.
I’ve actually had the chowder in Tofino, hunted the island clearcut, worked in English Bay and Banff and Swan Hills and Cal/Edmon/Jasper.. and drove the harrows & combines in Saskatchewan and Manitoba tractors too baby, where my family is from. I helped build the silos, paint the barns and get the hay to the barn.. and deliver the calf too.
I got Ontario covered fully.. and Hull, Montreal, in Quebec too. I suck re the Maritimes on my CV .. never making it to Cape Breton which truly haunts me tho I did a shoot in St. John’s and a few in Halifax plus in New Brunswick. I dream of the Arctic and other Territories in the greatest land in the entire world. Where the polar bear, seal and the Inuit are bound so seamlessly.
Who would attack this beautiful land in such treacherous ways.. Surely they aren’t well and need the support of the tribes to rest somewhere.. for a while .. and perhaps find their balance & way as Canadians again… perhaps, someday. ..