September 3, 2018
Right Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
c/o Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington St Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,
I am writing to express my extreme frustration and dissatisfaction with the decision made on Thursday, August 30, 2018, by the Federal Court of Appeal to revoke approval of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion.
I would like to start by saying that this isn’t about a pipeline. This is about the state of our country. We have allowed a minority to dictate the national agenda. Many Canadians, myself included, feel helpless trying to be heard over the loud voices of a few foreign-funded special interest groups who only have their best interests in mind, not those of Canadians.
I’m frustrated because you and your government didn’t take action when you needed to; that’s not leadership. It’s time to stop blaming other governments and start governing, even when it’s uncomfortable. Approximately 50 million barrels of oil per day are safely moved globally on water. It’s time to let evidence-based facts guide decisions, not ideology that’s popular for the day.
When politicians only care about the outcome of the next election rather than the long-term good for the country, that’s a problem. And right now we have a very big problem. There are real people affected by political and judicial decisions such as this one. Working, middle-class people will lose their jobs putting their well-being at risk. This is not a victory; this is not something any Canadian should be cheering. It’s shameful that anyone would celebrate the hardship many workers will face in the coming days, but the foreign-funded activists don’t care because they are being compensated.
Balancing economic growth with environmental protection is a noble proposition; however, your government has not provided a plan to do so. How do you plan to get the pipeline built? It’s time for realistic ideas that turn into concrete action. Dictatorships and countries with excessive corruption have more regulatory certainty for energy projects than Canada does, and that is why investment is leaving Alberta and Canada in favour of those other jurisdictions.
You keep talking about commitments to Indigenous Peoples. What about commitments to all Canadians? What about the rights of the Indigenous who support the project because they know it’s good for the country? Consultation with surface land owners is critical, but one or two groups cannot have more rights than others; after all, a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian, right?
I ask you to take action to ensure the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion gets built expeditiously to show that Canadians will not be bullied by special interest groups. Your reputation and Canada’s reputation is on the line; don’t let us down.
Sincerely,
Deidra Garyk
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