Just in case you had doubts that public education and mobilization are fundamental for protecting the environment, the results of our efforts to keep BC's coast oil free are becoming more and more apparent before this election. All federal political candidates in the Victoria riding - from the NDP to the Liberals to the Greens and even the Conservatives - have all stated their aversion to lifting the moratorium.

In addition, all three Victoria-region NDP candidates, as well as the Green Party in general, have stated their support for maintaining the moratorium. Ian Waddel, the federal NDP candidate and former BC NDP Minister of Environment, who is running against federal Minister of Industry David Emerson in the Kingsway riding, has stated his support for the moratorium. Lastly, the federal Liberal government itself in its recent media statements has indicated that it has no interest in lifting the moratorium any time soon if reelected.

This doesn't happen by accident - it's the efforts of thousands of people like YOU who write letters, sign and circulate petitions, volunteer on our campaigns, rally and protest, distribute our educational materials to others, canvass door to door, speak up at public hearings, and donate and join environmental groups who've created this situation. THANK YOU!!!

See the Monday Magazine article below as an example of these developments. - Ken Wu, WCWC Victoria

Federal Liberal not so oily

Monday Magazine, Dec.15-21, 2005

By Andrew Macleod

In recent years the MP for Victoria, David Anderson, has provided a steady voice against opening up the BC coast to oil and gas exploration. His position, and his success, has been a frustration for premier Gordon Campbell's provincial government, which has tried hard to get exploration moving ahead.

So with Anderson leaving politics, are things likely to change?

Certainly not with an NDP or Green victory. Robin Baird, the Conservative candidate, says he's not against preliminary research into offshore drilling, but he thinks it's unlikely it can be done safely. "I think intuitively that it's not worth the risk," he says. "I agree it's something we need to be very careful about."

But what about the new Liberal torch bearer, David Mulroney? He's been, after all, a member of the provincial Liberal party. (He took out a free membership at a time before Campbell was premier, he says, and he isn't sure if it has expired yet. But he doesn't plan on renewing it. "The party has evolved," he says, smiling.)

One issue where he differs with the Campbell Liberals is no offshore oil and gas. He's clear he wants the ban to remain.

"If the moratorium were lifted and any exploration were done, it would require underwater explosions," he says in a recent interview. We don't know that the effects of those explosions would be on migratory ocean species, he explains. "I don't think it's worth the risk and I don't have faith in government to regulate wealthy big business."

Besides, he adds, burning fossil fuels is a "sunset technology" that we need to move beyond. "We should be investing in windpower. We should be investing in up-to-date technologies."

Perhaps if the MP thing doesn't work out, he'd be interested in taking a run at becoming premier.