ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE CANADA, DAVID SUZUKI FOUNDATION, WEST COAST ENVIRONMENTAL LAW, GEORGIA STRAIT ALLIANCE

Canadians from coast to coast flooded a government inbox with opposition during a rushed, opaque public comment period on the West Coast Oil Pipeline

Vancouver | Traditional, unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) AND səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations – Over 43,000 people from across Canada have voiced their opposition to the proposed West Coast Oil Pipeline (WCOP). Today marks the close of the federal government’s public comment period on the project, after which they are expected to designate the pipeline as a “project of national interest” under the Building Canada Act.

The pipeline has consequential impacts on endangered species, including the critically endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale, while the bitumen it transports poses a serious toxic hazard in the event of a spill. The economic case is similarly risky. Despite its dubious financial outlook, Canada and Alberta taxpayers are being set up to cover 90% of its $34-$44 billion price tag.

The proposed pipeline still lacks basic project details — including the specific route, the extent of watercourse crossings, and a clear accounting of environmental risk or the consequences for endangered wildlife. Despite this, the federal government is expected to rubber-stamp the pipeline’s approval before those environmental impacts and risks are known.

The Canadian government has also limited the forums available for the general public and impacted communities to provide feedback on this decision. The government has not even committed to sharing the results from this comment period, or to being transparent about how project designation decisions are made.

Canadians who wrote in cited a range of concerns, including:

  • Billions of taxpayer dollars being committed to a pipeline without an economic case
  • Risks of leaks and spills, particularly in marine environments where bitumen cannot be cleaned up
  • Risks to the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale population, and other iconic at-risk species like caribou and salmon
  • The project’s climate impact
  • Inadequate consultation with First Nations
  • Construction impacts through treasured natural areas, including Jasper National Park
  • Industrial development in and around the Fraser basin estuary, including the conversion of agricultural land and private property, causing further stress to the ecologically sensitive area
  • Thousands of watercourse crossings and kilometres of ecosystems that would be permanently affected

Environmental organizations are calling on the federal government not to grant the WCOP a national-interest designation, warning that Canadian taxpayers should not be subsidizing or building fossil fuel industry infrastructure given its many risks and weak economic case. Polling in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec confirms that allocating public resources towards this pipeline is also deeply unpopular with Canadians.

Quotes: 

Emilia Belliveau, Energy Transition Program Manager, Environmental Defence Canada:

“This pipeline would be a money pit for the Canadian taxpayer, while fueling dangerous climate change disasters and putting the places and wildlife Canadians love in harm’s way. This frantic and untransparent process is also concerning – this is how reckless, bad decisions get made. We are in solidarity with First Nations and Indigenous organizations that have called out this rushed process for its blatant disregard for the standards of consultation established by Canadian courts, in support of Indigenous peoples’ right to free, prior and informed consent.”

Beatrice Frank, Executive Director, Georgia Strait Alliance: 

“A major project cannot be in the national interest if it pushes critically endangered killer whales closer to extinction, threatens the environment, puts coastal communities at risk, and sidelines Indigenous rights. This is not nation-building, it’s part of turning the Salish Sea into a sacrifice zone. Real nation-building means investing in resilient communities, strong Indigenous leadership, and a thriving Salish Sea, not paving over the ecosystems that sustain us.”

Georgia Lloyd-Smith, Staff Lawyer, West Coast Environmental Law:

“Designating the pipeline and tankers project as in the ‘national interest’ under the Building Canada Act would be legally and environmentally risky. It means the project would be pre-approved despite the absence of essential details, and without substantively consulting Indigenous nations or assessing the project’s potential impacts to the safety and health of our communities. Bypassing important safeguards and imposing such a rushed consultation timeline on an application with thin detail undermines Indigenous rights and title, jeopardizes the safety of communities, exposes the project to financial and legal risk, and makes it vulnerable to legal challenges from Nations and environmental groups.”

Thomas Green, Senior Manager, Climate Solutions, David Suzuki Foundation:

“Designating this pipeline a project of national interest doesn’t stack up economically. The world is electrifying fast, and demand for the oil this pipeline would carry is shrinking. Independent analysts already say Canada will have excess export capacity without it. This is a pipeline that may never be filled and will benefit foreign corporations with taxpayers covering roughly 90 per cent of the bill — with no private company willing to underwrite the risk. That is not resilience. It is a bet against where the market is already heading, and it will only add fuel to an already overheated climate that’s pummelling people and ecosystems in Canada.”

Background:

  • The following organizations have pooled the total number digital actions taken through their websites, where supporters are provided with information about the project and tools to email or call their representatives and government consultations: Environmental Defence Canada, David Suzuki Foundation, West Coast Environmental Law, Stand.Earth, 350.org, and Equiterre.
    • At least 18,600 comments were submitted to the email provided by the Major Projects office, which was open for public comment for less than two months.
    • Over 43,800 emails total have been submitted to the federal government opposing the pipeline since Alberta and Canada announced it would take a southern route through B.C.
  • The Building Canada Act does not define what “national interest” is, but instead sets out five criteria the government may consider when evaluating the decision to make a project a PONI. These criteria are what the Major Projects Office has asked participants to evaluate the pipeline against during the recent comment period, but the government does not require projects to meet all the criteria and is not required to give rationale for why a project designation is granted.
  • The federal government is expected to designate the WCOP under the Building Canada Act by October 1st, less than two weeks after closing the feedback period.
  • Recent polling by Environmental Defence Canada finds that opposition outweighs support for expanding oil and gas production, and financial support for this project shifts voter intention away from the Liberal Party. In every riding polled, at least 50 per cent of respondents (and 50-59 per cent of Liberal voters specifically) are less likely to support an MP who backs taxpayer funding for another oil pipeline. Similar results have been found in polling in Quebec, B.C. and Alberta.

ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

ABOUT WEST COAST ENVIRONMENTAL LAW (wcel.org): West Coast Environmental Law is a non-profit group of environmental lawyers and strategists dedicated to safeguarding the environment through law. West Coast works to transform environmental decision-making and strengthen legal protection for the environment through collaborative legal strategies that bridge Indigenous and Canadian law.

ABOUT THE DAVID SUZUKI FOUNDATION (DavidSuzuki.org | @DavidSuzukiFdn) is a Canadian environmental non-profit organization, founded in 1990. We operate in English and French, with offices in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. We aim to collaborate with many different people in Canada, including Indigenous leadership and communities, all governments, businesses and individuals to find solutions to create a sustainable Canada through scientific research, traditional ecological knowledge, innovative policy and legal solutions, communications and public engagement. Our mission is to protect nature’s diversity and the wellbeing of all life, now and for the future.

ABOUT GEORGIA STRAIT ALLIANCE (https://georgiastrait.org/): We were founded in Nanaimo, BC, in 1990 by a group of passionate citizens united by a concern for the Salish Sea, the wildlife it sustains, and the coastal communities we call home. Our vision is a Salish Sea teeming with life, where thriving and just communities live in balance with the environment. Rooted in environmental justice and community action, we continue to uphold that legacy through bold, effective initiatives that address the diverse challenges facing the Salish Sea.

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For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

Midhat Moini, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

Brandon Wei, David Suzuki Foundation, bwei@davidsuzuki.org

Beatrice Frank,  Georgia Strait Alliance, beatrice@georgiastrait.org

Alexis Stoymenoff, West Coast Environmental Law, astoymenoff@wcel.org