Victory for belugas and the St. Lawrence

TransCanada confirms it won’t build oil terminal at Cacouna

New Democrat MPs Guy Caron (Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques) and François Lapointe (Montmagny—L’Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup) are pleased that plans to build an oil port at Cacouna have been dropped.

“We’ve proven that there’s no credible scientific study to support work in the beluga nurseries. The question of what would happen in the case of an oil spill also remains unanswered. It’s clear that the pressure we put on the government influenced the good news we received today,” said Caron.

By working together, the NDP, the public and local organizations were able to delay and eventually cancel the project. The Conservatives’ dismantling of environmental protections undermined public confidence in the environmental assessment process and put the St. Lawrence in danger.

Unlike the Liberals, New Democrats had already opposed the construction of an oil port at Cacouna due to the environmental risks – especially the threat to belugas and their habitat. Economic benefits for the region would also have been negligible.

“Our extensive consultation indicated that nearly 60% of people from Cacouna opposed the oil port. While the construction phase may have generated jobs, 90% of workers would have come from outside the region. Focus should now be on projects that will actually create good jobs for the development of the Gros-Cacouna port,” said Lapointe.

New Democrats will continue to evaluate resource development projects based on their own merits – both economic and environmental.