Dogwood Initiative fundraising letter raises prospect of Trudeau betrayal

    1 of 2 2 of 2

      The subject line in the newest Dogwood Initiative fundraising letter couldn't be more direct.

      "Are we out to be betrayed?" asks the B.C.-based environmental group that's been at the forefront of the fight against the Enbridge and Kinder Morgan proposals to build oil pipelines between Alberta and B.C. ports.

      The letter states that just a few weeks ago, it looked like Enbridge's proposed Northern Gateway project was dead.

      "But Alberta Premier Notley has flip-flopped and now supports the Northern Gateway, while Prime Minister Trudeau's promised tanker ban is nowhere to be seen," the letter adds. "Meanwhile, Trudeau, Notley, and Premier Christy Clark are working on a secret deal to send Site C electricity to Alberta in exchange for a bitumen pipeline to the West Coast—against the will of British Columbians."

      The letter tartly notes that Trudeau "ran on a platform of respecting local communities and the rights of First Nations, and many breathed a sigh of relief when he was elected".

      However, the Dogwood Initiative claims that "pressure from the Chinese government and the oil industy appears to have convinced Trudeau to build a West Coast oil sands pipeline".

      Last August, Trudeau told the Dogwood Initiative's Kai Nagata that a new National Energy Board process would apply to existing projects, including the Kinder Morgan proposal. It would triple shipments to about 900,000 barrels per day, most of which would be exported on tankers through Burrard Inlet.

      The Dogwood Initiative's fundraising letter closes by saying that donations would provide training and material for volunteer organizers in key B.C. ridings.

      "Recent municipal, provincial and federal elections have shown the electoral strength of the No Tankers movement in B.C. and the next provincial election is just a year away," it notes.

      Comments