1. Liberal MP David Anderson, the strongest Liberal MP on the issue of maintianing a moritorium on drilling for oil and gas off the BC coast is no longer in the Liberal Caucus. He has retired from politics. Instead David Emerson is BC's leading Liberal Cabinet Minister. The Liberals have no champion in BC to challenge Industry Minister Emerson and he is unlikely to be part of a government after January 23 if he re-elected.
2. The Conservative Party plans to lift the moritorium. See page 24, number 46 for their plan to allow drilling and notice the use of words like "relevant". relevant is of course determined by the government in power.
Conservative candidate Mike Scott promises, that if elected, he would push for offshore oil exploration to determine what's below the ocean floor.
"So that would involve drilling as part of the exploration. That's how you actually prove whether the resource is there or not. You've actually got to get out in the field and determine what's there." - CBC Vancouver, January 19, 2006
Ken Wu of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee tells CBC it's clear a Stephen Harper government would lift the moratorium.
"They don't say it directly like that, but when they say the support oil exploration on the Pacific coast, that means the moratorium would have to be lifted."
The Liberals are caving under pressure from the Gordon Campbell government which wants to have drilling in place before 2010. Another Olympic legacy? The Conservative party is set to open the doors to drilling. Only the Green and NDP are opposed to doing so. The green won't elect anyone in BC this election. If you want to stop oil exporation and drilling off BC's coast, this election you have one choice.
A Harper government, even a minority can change the moritorium. We need to have a strong opposition, that will put the government's feet to the fire everyday in the House of Commons.
Election, Liberal Party, Canada, Politics, Conservative Party of Canada, Stephen Harper, Jack Layton, NDP, Green Party
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