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Originally Posted by peter12
Hate to sound cynical, but...
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I know you've said you were part of the negotiating process, but is your view maybe coloured by which side of the table you were on and your political stripes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Resolute 14
I am quite certain that many of the people on the ground are very much concerned about the environmental issue. However, most of the money that is coming into these groups is coming in from the US. And those same donors aren't putting nearly the same effort into their fight against American "dirty" oil. It isn't exactly a giant leap to argue that the fight to destroy Canada's oil industry is driven primarily as a means to protect America's oil industry.
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I can only speak anecdotally on this topic, but the FN and environmental friends/protesters I've spoken with on the manner are primarily concerned with protecting the coast line from tanker traffic, and trying to get the government to practice more consensual policy decisions with FN bands. There have also been a number of earth sciences, environmental studies, biology, etc., professors out here from UVic, SFU, UBC, etc., who have gone on record against Northern Gateway because they feel the potential impact on the environment outweighs the economic benefits for BC. I don't think all of these people are on the payroll for American oil interests.
You also have to add on to this the big spill in English Bay last year and the pipeline burst in California that got a lot of media attention, and it's easy to understand why people are concerned. It's not even just an Alberta oil thing here either. There's quite a bit of opposition to Clark's LNG plans as well. The obvious hypocrisy in all of this is the mining industry, but most of the people living on the coast don't really have a clue what goes on in the interior.