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Petition to Stop Coastal Oil and Gas Development off Canada's Pacific Coast
Please note: While valid contact information is required to ensure the petition is accepted by the government, it will be kept strictly private and will never be shared with a third party.
We, the undersigned, are calling on Prime Minister Paul Martin and the federal Liberal government to enact a legislated ban on coastal oil and gas development in B.C.
Whereas:
- Over 60% of respondents to the federal government's own public input process in 2004 wanted the government to maintain the moratorium on offshore oil and gas development.
- Coastal oil and gas drilling results in chronic pollution through regular oil leakages, minor spills, and the discharge of toxic drill cuttings, muds and fluids into the ocean. This pollution harms marine life as it moves through the food chain.
- The Queen Charlotte Islands and the Hecate Strait are the most earthquake prone regions in Canada. The consequences of a major oil spill would be devastating to the wildlife, fisheries, and human communities in the region. Ocean currents will take spills on to the ecologically sensitive shores of the BC mainland and Queen Charlotte Islands.
- Seismic testing kills and harms fish and invertebrates, deafens whales, and disrupts migration routes of marine mammals. It would seriously impact the commercial and sport fishing industries and could also harm the whale-watching industry.
- Coastal oil and gas drilling would contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and will contravene Canada's commitment to the Kyoto Accord
- Few direct jobs would be created for coastal communities. Foreign work crews with the necessary specialized skills would be brought in from around the world. Oil rigs would be constructed where labour is cheapest, likely in South Korea or China.
- Lifting the moratorium without First Nations consultation and accommodation would infringe on First Nations territorial rights, as well as damage the marine resources that sustain their cultures.
THEREFORE, WE THE UNDERSIGNED CALL ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF CANADA TO ENACT A LEGISLATED BAN ON ALL OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENTS OFF CANADA'S PACIFIC COAST
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
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