The following letter was sent to MP John Weston and copied to Coast Reporter.
Thank you for your work and your sacrifice of precious time away from your family to serve our communities and our country. It is with those communities and families in mind, both yours and mine, that I write today.
By dismantling the environmental protection network developed by various governments (both Liberal and Conservative) over the past 40 years, Bill C-38 is jeopardizing the health of the natural biological systems which support our communities.
By gutting environmental protection regulations, Bill C-38 is putting private profits before public health.
By shutting down critical (world-renowned) environmental research projects, the Conservative government is silencing science — science that gives us the knowledge and tools to manage sustainably the increasingly voracious appetite of our industrial developments.
In one year, the Harper government is undoing what has taken half a century, thousands of hearts and minds and millions of taxpayer dollars to create.
All of this is being done without public input, relevant scientific consultation or proper parliamentary oversight, including from opposition members of Parliament who represent over 60 per cent of Canadians who voted in the last election.
If these environmental changes and Bill C-38 are good for Canada and good legislation, they will withstand the test of reasoned debate.
Without clean air, water, soil and properly functioning ecosystems, a healthy economic future for our children is not possible. Responsible governance implies responsible stewardship of these resources.
I ask you to vote against Bill C-38 and for responsible, democratic processes.
Nicola Kozakiewicz
Gibsons
