Calgary AB (Treaty 7 Territory) – Members of Climate Justice Edmonton and the Council of Canadians disrupted a $200-a-plate luncheon between Canada's Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Calgary business leaders on Tuesday to call out the government's decision to purchase the Trans Mountain Pipeline System and Expansion Project (TMEP).
“The only guarantee for this project is that it will ultimately fail,” said Climate Justice Edmonton’s Anna Gerrard. “This 4.5 billion dollar purchase is a misuse of public funds and political power, one that we cannot afford in 2018. TMEP was approved through a rigged review process and will continue to lack the consent of impacted communities, regardless of this undemocratic expenditure.”
Minister Morneau stated Monday that using public money to buy the TMEP project was in the national interest, yet it was deemed too risky for Kinder Morgan's own shareholders. Many alternate investments, including clean drinking water on reserves, healthcare, or clean energy could all create more jobs while ensuring long-term value for the public.
“This purchase does nothing to curb the Indigenous-led resistance this pipeline faces in the courts and the streets,” said Bronwen Tucker of Climate Justice Edmonton and the Council of Canadians. “TMEP directly defies the Canadian government’s commitments to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Paris Agreement.”
“We remain committed to stopping this project that violates the rights of Indigenous peoples, defies climate science, and puts our waterways at risk,” added Gerrard. “Regardless of who owns the pipeline, we will continue to stand with frontline communities to ensure that this project will NEVER be built.”
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Media Contacts:
Bronwen Tucker 587-926-7601
Anna Gerrard 604-653-0649