Listen to environmentalists who oppose the Northern Gateway pipeline
In an effort to steam roller his pet pipeline through Canada's bureaucratic process, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver has resorted to name calling and threats. Oliver, who is Canada's Natural Resources Minister, ought to be listening to all points of view on the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline. Instead, he is calling its opponents "radicals" and ascribing sinister motives to environmental groups who accept donations from Americans. Some of Canada's environmental groups are now worried they will lose their tax-exempt status if they speak out against the ecological consequences of the pipeline. Those consequences include probable oil spills as well as danger to human health and wildlife.
The pipeline, if approved, will produce fuel for export to Asia, an economic imperative, according to Oliver. Apparently, it's okay for Canada to trade with the rest of the world, but an environmental movement that is international in scope is somehow suspicious.
Tell Oliver not to railroad Canadians on the pipeline issue by threatening environmentalists and calling them names.
We the undersigned wish you would not resort to name calling and veiled threats to get what you want, i.e. the Northern Gateway Pipeline. If you can prove that the pipeline will not threaten human or animal welfare or result in ruinous oil spills, then good for you. But putting a project on the fast track by bashing its opponents is not what a democracy is all about. You should be objective and listen to what environmentalists have to say about the pipeline. It will affect the lives of too many people and too many habitats to do otherwise.
