Page 43 - Shahrvand BC No.1222
P. 43
English Section
43 Keystone XL pipeline:
Bad for the environment and
Canadian workers
Dave Coles further development of Alberta’s
rabble.ca bitumen sands. Additionally, the
bevy of export pipelines being
1391 ید29 جمعه- 1222 شماره/ سال متسیب The following speech was delivered by proposed need to be put on hold until
the President of the Communications, we develop a national consensus
Energy and Paperworkers Union around a sustainable energy strategy.
of Canada (CEP) Dave Coles to We oppose the proposed Keystone
“Confronting the Climate Crisis: XL pipeline and call on President
Can Labor Help Shape an Effective Obama to reject the project. Climate
Strategy?” at City University of New pollution from the bitumen sands
York. industry is already considerable and
The obvious answer to the question is will only get worse by approving
yes and the voice of energy workers Keystone XL. The Canadian
is a particularly important one to hear government’s aggressive lobbying in
while talking about labour’s role in the U.S. in favor of the pipeline is an
reducing greenhouse gas emissions. embarrassment.
As Canada’s largest energy union, I have been arrested in the fight
the CEP represents 35,000 members against Keystone XL because our
employed in oil and gas extraction, union understands that this pipeline
transportation, refining, and is bad for both the environment and
conversion in the petrochemical and Canadian workers. The pipeline will
plastics sectors. take potential upgrading and refining
CEP believes that it is necessary to jobs away from Canadians and put
transition away from fossil fuels by our country’s energy security at risk.
reducing consumption and investing Fighting for economic equality and
in green energies while ensuring a climate justice are at the base of our
just transition for energy workers and everyday work. The CEP understands
their communities. that the same government that wants
In touch with Iranian diversity My union believes we need to pause to extract as much oil (should I say profits) as quickly as possible capitalists whose wealth and power
from Alberta’s bitumen sands has depends on existing enterprises
repeatedly legislated workers back to deny there is a problem. Our current
work and attacked unions’ political economic system is dependent on
independence. endless growth even though it’s clear
The CEP is active in numerous as day that unrestrained growth is
initiatives to fight the climate crisis. environmentally unsustainable.
We recently supported PowerShift, Corporations and their sycophants in
a skills sharing conference that the media and academia tell us that
brought together 1000 youth fighting we have to choose between jobs and
Lawyers ICBC ﻭﻛﻼ for climate justice. the environment. But we reject this
Claims ٦٠٤- ٩٨٢- ٤٠٥١ When the leader of the official dichotomy.
604 - 982 - 4051 ٦٠٤- ٩٨٠ -٨٥٧١ opposition Thomas Mulcair sparked It’s possible to build an economic
604 - 980 - 8571 a controversy by saying the Canadian system that provides people with
dollar is “artificially high” because good and fulfilling work all the
Vol. 20 / No. 1222 - Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 we’re “allowing [the oil companies] while respecting Mother Earth. If
a bit of a free ride in using the air, we don’t seek that balance there
the soil and the water in an unlimited may be no good jobs for our great
way” the right-wing accused him of grandchildren.
ﺑﺮﺍی ﻣﺸﺎﻭﺭﻩ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ ﻟﻄﻔﺎ ﺑﺎ causing regional tensions between To deal with the unfolding ecological
the manufacturing-focused east of crisis we must jettison corporation-
ﺁﻗﺎی ﻛﺎﻣﻴﻞ ﻟﻄﻔﻌﻠﻰ the country and the more resource centric economic policies in favor of
dependent west. In response, CEP ones that actually address our world’s
local 707 hosted Mulcair’s tour of the many social and ecological concerns.
. ﺗﻤﺎﺱ ﺑﮕﻴﺮﻳﺪ،ﻭﻛﻴﻞ ﻓﺎﺭﺳﻰ ﺯﺑﺎﻥ bitumen sands. This helped undercut In conclusion, the main spokesperson
the right-wing’s attacks by showing for the largely successful student
that many of those working in Fort strike that rocked Quebec last
McMurray’s energy extraction sector spring, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, told
are also concerned about unbridled PowerShift in October:
Kamil Lotfali, lawyer oil expansion. “The problem is not [personal]
The CEPis part of Blue Green Canada, consumption, it is our economy and
ﺳﺎﻝ ﺗﺠﺮﺑﻪ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ٣٠ ﻣﺆﺳﺴﻪﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ "ﻧﻮﺭﺕﺷﻮﺭﻻ " ﺑﺎﺑﻴﺶﺍﺯ- an alliance of labour, environmental production. Our system is broken
and civil society organizations. A on a systemic level. The destruction
ﺩﺳﺘﻤﺰﺩیﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﺨﻮﺍﻫﻴﻢﻛﺮﺩ، ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﻨﻤﺎﺋﻴﻢICBC ﺗﺎﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕﺷﻤﺎﺭﺍ ﺍﺯ- recent Blue Green report shows that of our environment is a natural and
six to eight times more jobs could be inevitable result. Without radical
ICBC ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖ ﻫﺮﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕ ﺟﺎﻧﻰ ﻭ ﻣﺎﻟﻰ ﺍﺯ- created by investing the $1.3 billion change we will be faced with
in federal subsidies that currently go extinction. Resistance in these times
43 NORTH SHORE LAW LLP to oil and gas subsidies into energy is not an option. It is a duty.”
efficiency, renewable energy and
6th Floor, 171 West Esplanade, North Vancouver, B.C. public transit. Dave Coles is President of the
For science the threat of global Communications, Energy and
klotfali@northshorelaw.com
warming is beyond sane dispute. But Paperworkers Union of Canada
43 Keystone XL pipeline:
Bad for the environment and
Canadian workers
Dave Coles further development of Alberta’s
rabble.ca bitumen sands. Additionally, the
bevy of export pipelines being
1391 ید29 جمعه- 1222 شماره/ سال متسیب The following speech was delivered by proposed need to be put on hold until
the President of the Communications, we develop a national consensus
Energy and Paperworkers Union around a sustainable energy strategy.
of Canada (CEP) Dave Coles to We oppose the proposed Keystone
“Confronting the Climate Crisis: XL pipeline and call on President
Can Labor Help Shape an Effective Obama to reject the project. Climate
Strategy?” at City University of New pollution from the bitumen sands
York. industry is already considerable and
The obvious answer to the question is will only get worse by approving
yes and the voice of energy workers Keystone XL. The Canadian
is a particularly important one to hear government’s aggressive lobbying in
while talking about labour’s role in the U.S. in favor of the pipeline is an
reducing greenhouse gas emissions. embarrassment.
As Canada’s largest energy union, I have been arrested in the fight
the CEP represents 35,000 members against Keystone XL because our
employed in oil and gas extraction, union understands that this pipeline
transportation, refining, and is bad for both the environment and
conversion in the petrochemical and Canadian workers. The pipeline will
plastics sectors. take potential upgrading and refining
CEP believes that it is necessary to jobs away from Canadians and put
transition away from fossil fuels by our country’s energy security at risk.
reducing consumption and investing Fighting for economic equality and
in green energies while ensuring a climate justice are at the base of our
just transition for energy workers and everyday work. The CEP understands
their communities. that the same government that wants
In touch with Iranian diversity My union believes we need to pause to extract as much oil (should I say profits) as quickly as possible capitalists whose wealth and power
from Alberta’s bitumen sands has depends on existing enterprises
repeatedly legislated workers back to deny there is a problem. Our current
work and attacked unions’ political economic system is dependent on
independence. endless growth even though it’s clear
The CEP is active in numerous as day that unrestrained growth is
initiatives to fight the climate crisis. environmentally unsustainable.
We recently supported PowerShift, Corporations and their sycophants in
a skills sharing conference that the media and academia tell us that
brought together 1000 youth fighting we have to choose between jobs and
Lawyers ICBC ﻭﻛﻼ for climate justice. the environment. But we reject this
Claims ٦٠٤- ٩٨٢- ٤٠٥١ When the leader of the official dichotomy.
604 - 982 - 4051 ٦٠٤- ٩٨٠ -٨٥٧١ opposition Thomas Mulcair sparked It’s possible to build an economic
604 - 980 - 8571 a controversy by saying the Canadian system that provides people with
dollar is “artificially high” because good and fulfilling work all the
Vol. 20 / No. 1222 - Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 we’re “allowing [the oil companies] while respecting Mother Earth. If
a bit of a free ride in using the air, we don’t seek that balance there
the soil and the water in an unlimited may be no good jobs for our great
way” the right-wing accused him of grandchildren.
ﺑﺮﺍی ﻣﺸﺎﻭﺭﻩ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ ﻟﻄﻔﺎ ﺑﺎ causing regional tensions between To deal with the unfolding ecological
the manufacturing-focused east of crisis we must jettison corporation-
ﺁﻗﺎی ﻛﺎﻣﻴﻞ ﻟﻄﻔﻌﻠﻰ the country and the more resource centric economic policies in favor of
dependent west. In response, CEP ones that actually address our world’s
local 707 hosted Mulcair’s tour of the many social and ecological concerns.
. ﺗﻤﺎﺱ ﺑﮕﻴﺮﻳﺪ،ﻭﻛﻴﻞ ﻓﺎﺭﺳﻰ ﺯﺑﺎﻥ bitumen sands. This helped undercut In conclusion, the main spokesperson
the right-wing’s attacks by showing for the largely successful student
that many of those working in Fort strike that rocked Quebec last
McMurray’s energy extraction sector spring, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, told
are also concerned about unbridled PowerShift in October:
Kamil Lotfali, lawyer oil expansion. “The problem is not [personal]
The CEPis part of Blue Green Canada, consumption, it is our economy and
ﺳﺎﻝ ﺗﺠﺮﺑﻪ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ٣٠ ﻣﺆﺳﺴﻪﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ "ﻧﻮﺭﺕﺷﻮﺭﻻ " ﺑﺎﺑﻴﺶﺍﺯ- an alliance of labour, environmental production. Our system is broken
and civil society organizations. A on a systemic level. The destruction
ﺩﺳﺘﻤﺰﺩیﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﺨﻮﺍﻫﻴﻢﻛﺮﺩ، ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﻨﻤﺎﺋﻴﻢICBC ﺗﺎﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕﺷﻤﺎﺭﺍ ﺍﺯ- recent Blue Green report shows that of our environment is a natural and
six to eight times more jobs could be inevitable result. Without radical
ICBC ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖ ﻫﺮﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕ ﺟﺎﻧﻰ ﻭ ﻣﺎﻟﻰ ﺍﺯ- created by investing the $1.3 billion change we will be faced with
in federal subsidies that currently go extinction. Resistance in these times
43 NORTH SHORE LAW LLP to oil and gas subsidies into energy is not an option. It is a duty.”
efficiency, renewable energy and
6th Floor, 171 West Esplanade, North Vancouver, B.C. public transit. Dave Coles is President of the
For science the threat of global Communications, Energy and
klotfali@northshorelaw.com
warming is beyond sane dispute. But Paperworkers Union of Canada
