The decision slaps a large sign on Canada’s resource industry that reads: Closed for Business – The Federal Court of Appeal has spoken clearly for the southern resident killer whales of the Salish Sea, for the First Nations that live along the Pacific Coast and for the environmental activists who run the cities of Vancouver and Burnaby.
The court’s decision to quash the federal cabinet’s construction permits for the Trans Mountain pipeline will be hailed by professional objectors everywhere.
Justice Eleanor Dawson, who wrote the decision, and her colleagues, justices Yves de Montigny and Judith Woods, can take comfort from the fact that their jurisdiction did not extend to considering the thousands of jobs across the country that have been imperilled by the decision — not to mention the deleterious impact it will have on national unity.
But the net effect is that Canada’s attempts to realize a world price for its resource bounty has again been thwarted, even under this ultra-progressive prime minister and a government that has modernized the National Energy Board, overhauled the environmental assessment process and introduced a “world-leading” marine safety system.
The decision slaps a large sign on Canada’s resource industry that reads Closed for Business. Potentially, it will cost thousands of jobs and billions in revenue.
John Ivison – National Post – August 30, 2018.
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