A small group of Surrey residents staged a protest Monday against the Trudeau government’s decision to buy the Kinder Morgan pipeline for $4.5 billion.
Roughly 20 protesters gathered at Liberal MP Randeep Sarai’s riding office in Whalley to deliver a petition from people opposed to the purchase, as part of a “National Day of Action to Stop the Kinder Morgan Buyout.” More than 80 such protests took place at MPs’ offices across Canada on Monday.
“There’s over 100,000 signatures on this petition. It’s on a USB stick, that’s why it looks so small,” protest organizer Rebecca Haber told the Now-Leader, gripping a small envelope intended for Sarai. She said it’s “unacceptable that the Liberal government is spending billions of our tax dollars on a fossil fuel project at a time when we need real action or climate change.”
Whalley resident Lisa Garner and son Adam, 12, the first protestor outside Surrey MP Randeep Sarai's office to register their opposition to the federal government buying the Kinder Morgan pipeline. Sarai is in Ottawa today. #SurreyBC pic.twitter.com/Cb5SJ5dcAR
— Tom Zytaruk (@tomzytaruk) June 4, 2018
Pipeline buyout protesters outside Surrey MP Randeep Sarai's office in Whalley. pic.twitter.com/Vptl3N9FAr
— Surrey Now-Leader (@SurreyNowLeader) June 4, 2018
Haber said the $4.5 billion “could go towards so many other worthwhile investments — housing, safe drinking water for First Nations communities, green energy. These are the types of investments that will make Canada prosperous in the future.”
Whalley resident Lisa Garner and her son Adam, 12, were the first protesters to arrive. Adam carried a placard that read “No Bail Out” and “Water is more important than school today.”
And that’s not all.
“Water is more important than oil, I mean, you can survive without cars for a week, can’t you?” Adam remarked. “Just because there’s no oil doesn’t mean, like, ‘Oh no, we’re going to lose all our money.’ I mean, tourism is a big thing around here — have you seen all the hotels?”
His mom’s placard read “No Bail Out! My name is Lisa Garner I say no!”
“I say no because I think we can use that money for more important things,” Lisa Garner explained. “It’s also my money, and nobody consulted me.”
“We’re bringing a petition calling on the Liberal government to stop the Kinder Morgan buyout and use our tax dollars in ways that are better for our health and our future. It’s very important that we be consulted on how our money is spent and I don’t believe the government should be supporting a private company with our tax dollars.”
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Rebecca Haber, who planned to participate in today’s Surrey protest, said it’s “unacceptable that the Liberal government is spending billions of our tax dollars on a fossil fuel project at a time when we need real action or climate change.”
Haber said the $4.5 billion “could go towards so many other worthwhile investments — housing, safe drinking water for First Nations communities, green energy. These are the types of investments that will make Canada prosperous in the future.”
Sarai was in Ottawa on Monday.
“The right to peaceful protests is at the foundation of our rights and freedoms in Canada and we respect that right,” he told the Now-Leader in an email. “I’m glad to see my constituents express their concerns peacefully and via petitions. We accept a diversity of views and opinions with respect to Canada’s energy future. We recognize that not everyone agrees with those decisions but our government is committed to work with provinces, territories and indigenous peoples to ensure a strong economy, while taking leadership on the environment.”
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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