Today, environmental and social justice organizations have come together for the Black Out Speak Out campaign opposing the Bill C-38, the omnibus budget bill. For the day, many organizations are redirecting people to the campaign’s website BlackOutSpeakOut.ca which headlines:
“Our land, our water and climate are still threatened by the latest federal budget. Proposed changes in the budget bill will weaken environmental laws and silence the voices of those who seek to defend them.”
This is absolutely true. For those seeking to protect the planet and communities, this bill is a huge threat. If C-38 passes, we will all wave good-bye to the Fisheries Act, the strongest environmental legislation in Canada, as it currently stands. The legislation will be significantly weakened. Additionally, federal review processes will be cut down to two years, regardless of the time needed more scientific analysis and public consultation.
Take the Joint Review Panel process for the Northern Enbridge Gateway Pipeline Project as an example. So many people want to make public statements and comment on the proposal that the public hearings alone will take more than 2 years. This leaves no time to even assess what the public was saying, and review any reports and environmental assessments.
But we need to remember that this campaign is not just about speaking out today, but rather it is a call on all of us to speak out whenever our voices are silenced and to join those who have already been speaking out—a lot! There are many communities who have refused to stay silent. We can revisit the example of the Northern Enbridge Gateway Pipeline Project. Indigenous Nations have signed onto the Save the Fraser Declaration to protect the Fraser River Watershed from the Northern Enbridge Gateway Pipeline. They have not stayed silent. In fact, they have been very clear that they are saying “No.”
This is just one example. Another example can be the many people along the route of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project who would face increased risks of spills and pollution of waterways, as well as the potential of displacement. Also, those who are living close to Burrard Inlet which would see more oil tankers and increased threat of spills destruction to ecosystems have been speaking out with several cities having passed resolutions opposing the pipeline expansion.
The budget bill is said to ‘streamline’ environmental review processes. This is just a euphemism for cutting out some very important parts of environmental reviews–likely the part in which we get to say something. Council of Canadians is supporting the Black Out Speak Out campaign, but will continue to speak out against environmental projects and other legislation that will impact communities’ environment, health, and livelihoods.
