Conservatives and Greens Retract Their Complaints Against Dogwood

The Conservatives and Green Party last week complained about Dogwood Initiative's campaign to raise Tankers as an issue in this election. It seems neither did their homework. Dogwood is a registered third party for this election and has not yet reached third party advertising spending limits. Both the Greens and the Conservatives have since retracted their complaints to Elections Canada. Gary Lunn still remains the only major candidate not to support a ban on oil tankers through BC's north coast.

In the video clip above, recorded at the Saanich Chamber of Commerce debate a couple of weeks ago, Gary Lunn confirms he does not support a ban on all bulk oil tankers through BC's north coast and then confuses the issue by referring to things not relevant to the question:

• Small vessels taking fuel to remote communities are not at issue!
  
• We are not disputing nor talking about the Tanker Exclusion Zone, which only applies to tankers en route to Washington from Alaska; it does not apply to proposed supertanker traffic into and out of Kitimat BC. An all-encompassing ban would, which Gary is alone in not supporting.
  
• We're not talking about the offshore drilling moratorium. That is different Gary.
  

This election, Vote No Tankers!

It was over 35 years ago that the first major struggle over whether or not to allow oil tankers through BC's north coast was waged, and it has been waged repeatedly since. The major heroes of those early days are known, including long time MP David Anderson - but I believe it was the strength and passion of coastal people standing up for what they believed in that was most fundamental to shutting those early oil tanker proposals down. People who used humour, song, and scientific and emotional testimony

to connect their neighbours and their communities into a force capable of influencing politics.

This needs to happen again - because the spectre of north coast oil tankers has returned; this has been the goal of Dogwood's 'No Tankers' campaign since its launch in 2007. By working with our allies, we have mobilized concerned people across our great province, and it is important that you take whatever opportunity you have to raise the tanker issue with your candidates in whichever riding you will be voting.