Editor:
An open letter to the Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay, MP for South Surrey-White Rock
In a letter to the editor of the Peace Arch News (Jan. 28, 2021), Dennis Smith reminded all of us once again of the rather deplorable practice of U.S. coal being transported via trains to Roberts Banks to be shipped to Asia. Due to their stringent environmental laws, none of the U.S. west coast states accommodate the overseas shipping of their own nation’s coal. Even James Kerr argued in a newspaper article back in 2019, that it is nothing short of hypocritical for Canada to have such a double standard; on one hand supporting all kinds of environment protective initiatives, including various taxes that we are paying or will be paying soon, and on the other to allow the U.S. to ship dirty and environment-damaging coal through a Canadian coal harbour and our waters.
In light of the recent change of power in the U.S., with President Joe Biden endorsing a pro-environment stance and subsequently also blocking the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, with PM Trudeau quietly applauding that move, I think it is time to forcefully put a motion on the table to block U.S. coal trains from entering Canada and polluting our environment.
Even though it may look like a tit for tat, I believe that the time for this type of double standard in Canada is over and deliberate action needs to be taken now as the ‘iron is in the fire’ with President Biden’s enthusiasm for a clean environment.
I sincerely hope that you, as our representative in Ottawa, can put forward a motion to that effect.
C. Schroedter, White Rock