Just the Facts: Conservative Hypocrisy on Environmental Protection

June 19, 2014

In 2007, the Conservatives claimed they were taking action to preserve the integrity of our natural environment and the Great Bear Rainforest. The Minister of the Environment at the time, John Baird, even declared: “We know there is a strong link between a healthy ecosystem, a healthy society and Canada’s economic prosperity.” You can read the full press release here.

Despite the Conservatives’ own admission in 2007 that the protection of our environment is critically important for the Canadian economy, this week Mr. Harper approved the Northern Gateway pipeline. This project will have serious negative effects on the environment, as well as the coastal economy of British Columbia, local communities, First Nations, and the Great Bear Rainforest that the government had previously committed to protecting.

Liberals, on the other hand, have been consistent in calling for stronger protections and pushing for a more substantive government consultation process. Northern Gateway’s proposed route is no place for a pipeline.