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Emerson’s push for offshore oil a dramatic reversal in Liberal platformJuly 21, 2004 - VANCOUVER, July 21, 2004 – Industry Minister David Emerson’s suggestion to look at lifting the oil and gas moratorium on B.C.’s coast reflects a dramatic reversal from the Liberals’ campaign promises of last month, says the David Suzuki Foundation. The Liberals’ apparent dedication to environmental issues, outlined in their platform and reiterated throughout their campaign, is alarmingly absent in Paul Martin’s new cabinet. “The Liberals campaigned on a vision of a ‘21st century economy,’ including meeting our Kyoto targets, pushing for environmental innovation and creating sustainable development,” says Jim Fulton, Executive Director of the David Suzuki Foundation. “Emerson’s interest in lifting the moratorium in ‘Canada’s Galapagos’ – an area of global ecological significance – puts the integrity of Martin’s cabinet into serious question.” Former Environment Minister David Anderson made it clear that offshore oil and gas exploration – even in its exploratory phase – puts B.C. ecosystems and communities at enormous risk for negligible economic benefits. Anderson’s replacement, and the appointment of David Emerson as Minister of Industry, suggests that the Liberal government’s commitment to environmental issues was only lip service. At best, Emerson’s stance on oil and gas exploration ignores existing public opinion. At worst, it puts B.C.’s fragile coast in the middle of a political horse-trade between big oil interests and federal and B.C.’s provincial Liberal parties. Commitment to environmental sustainability, including respect for the B.C. oil and gas moratorium, was precisely what distinguished Paul Martin’s Liberals from Stephen Harper’s Conservatives during the last election. For more information, contact: Jennifer Brown Ian Bruce
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