Dear Editor,
In response to the Oct. 13 article in the Burnaby NOW, Anti-pipeline activists backing NDP in Burnaby North-Seymour, I would like to point out some inaccuracies. Sven Biggs’ statement “The party that forms cabinet will decide if the Kinder Morgan pipeline goes ahead” is not true.
In a minority government, and all the polls say we will have a minority government next week, the parties that are willing to work together will get things done.
In Pearson’s minority government, that government got things done. They were able to give Canadians universal health care, the Canada Pension Plan, Canada Student Loans, the 40-hour work week, two weeks’ vacation time, a new minimum wage, and have been credited with instituting the world’s first race-free immigration system. Pearson’s cabinet did not do this alone.
They did this with Diefenbaker’s Conservatives and a small group of Douglas’ NDP’ers all working together.
Under the next minority government, there should be a small group of Greens pushing the Liberals and the NDP to keep their promises. Neither the Liberals nor the NDP have said they will stop Kinder Morgan from bringing in its pipeline, expanding the tank farm and increasing the tanker traffic into the Burrard Inlet.
Ben West from Tanker Free B.C. and Sven Biggs, from Forest Ethics know this.
They know the minority government has to listen to everyone, not just those in cabinet.
So why are they trying to scare us into thinking only one party can form government and stop Kinder Morgan? The next Prime Minister will be Thomas Mulcair or Justin Trudeau.
The Liberals and the NDP will form a coalition and there will be an accord made with the Green MPs to support their minority government if they bring in some form of proportional representation, repeal Bill C-51 and go to the Paris Climate talk in November with a serious plan to reduce climate change.
No one knows who will win the Burnaby North-Seymour riding. There is no clear winner for this riding. Even Ben West says “the Burnaby riding is particularly tricky.” It could go Green, Liberal, or NDP.
Vote for the person who best represents your interests in Burnaby North-Seymour, not for a cabinet position in a majority government.
Kathy Hartman, Burnaby
