On Thursday August 20 I attended a rally against fish farms held at Pender and Burrard in Vancouver. I gave a short speech – and it was lousy, Stooping to use the “f” word, I called the government liars. I was trying to get the message out that one of the principal things we must do in the fight for our waters and our fish is understand that our governments have lied to us for 8 years and will continue to do so.
Perhaps I was tired … just cranky … or I just gave a lousy speech. Here’s the speech I wanted to give.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am here to throw the strength of the Save Our Rivers Society, of which I am the official spokesperson, behind the fight to save our salmon and move fish farms out of the oceans. We have a common cause of saving our fish. Campbell doesn’t give a damn about fish and ands is hugely economical with the truth.
“Lie”, with or without the “f” word should be avoided. Lawyers tell you not to call someone a liar because that may mean that you’re saying he’s a habitual liar. Churchill got around that in a speech to the Commons in 1906 when he coined the phrase “terminological inexactitude”. I will use that term abbreviated to TE in this article and henceforth
Premier Campbell and the cabinet have been TEing from the second they assumed office in May 2001.
In November 2001 the Campbell government removed the moratorium on fish farms in our oceans. This was before Alexandra Morton did her superlative work on the sea lice problem. The worry was that these caged Atlantic Salmon might escape and establish themselves in BC streams.
At first, industry and government denied that there were any escapes. (TE) When not even they could keep a straight face with that one they denied that escaped Atlantics were getting into our rivers.(TE) Indeed at one point, after hundreds of thousands had escaped, then the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, John Van Dongen told me and my audience that only three escapees had been found in BC streams (Big TE). Three! Then a week or two later his colleague, the late Stan Hagen, Minister of Development corrected his colleague and advised that only two had been found! (Bald faced TE) If we’d continued this ridiculous charade they would likely have told me that au contraire, it was Pacific Salmon trying to break into Atlantic Salmon fish cages! In fact as fish biologist John Volpe who was actually with his colleagues in the rivers counting Atlantics there were hundreds and he’d only had the time and resources to examine a miniscule number of streams.
In 2002 Alexandra Morton, a whale researcher living at Echo Bay in the Broughton Archipelago, acting on an observations of local First Nations people observed there were way more sea lice in the waters since fish farms had arrived. Alex began her long battle by testing some pink salmon fry finding them smothered in sea lice. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans first reaction was not to deal with the problem but charge Alex with illegal testing! From then to this day the DFO have been part of the problem as they have TEd all the way.
From the outset the Campbell government denied there was problem (TE). As one independent scientist after another verified her findings Campbell and his ministers would TS through their teeth saying over and over that science was on their side. The more the evidence piled up, the more Campbell told TEs and the more permits and expansions his governments issued.
When the Ministry of AFF inspectors were off to inspect the farms, Van Dongen warned the farms and had to resign after first TEing than he hadn’t done it.
In 2994 fish farm operators were refunded more than $2.3 million paid in fines for breaking the law. Instead of admitting that this was because the fish farmers, Van Dongen alleged these were unfair fines under the previous NDP government (TE).
Run after run failed and the fact ignored with the premier denying the lice from fish farms were to blame (TE). When finally some farms were forced to fallow during the pink and chum smolts migrations, and runs were dramatically increased far from admitting that this proved Alex right they said it proved that lice were no problem all long! (TE) Continue Reading »
