A Letter from an Albertan to His Prime Minister About the Tech Mine

Over the weekend I wrote a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau about the proposed Teck Frontier tar sands mine and cc'd appropriate parties. The letter is below. I felt it was important to let the feds know that not all Albertans are in denial about the climate crisis. I hope other like-minded Albertans will do the same. We can but try.

9 February 2020

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Dear Prime Minister:

In 2015, you indicated a desire to make Canada a climate leader. Today, we are consistently among the top three per capita greenhouse gas emitters in the developed world and among the three least likely to meet our targets. Rather than a leader we have become a laggard.

And now your government faces a decision about the Teck Frontier tar sands mine. If we are to have any chance of being considered a climate leader, we must reject the folly of adding even further to the climate crisis.

I am quite frankly embarrassed that a country as rich as ours is failing its responsibility to the international community. Indeed, as a resident of Alberta, the pollution province, the prime agent of our delinquency, I am doubly embarrassed. This would not be the case if our government would accept the gravity of the crisis and take measures to transition us from where we are (heavily dependent on fossil fuels) to where we need to be (a low carbon economy). Unfortunately it is instead doubling down on oil. It is clinging to the past.

Therefore, whether or not we are to hold our heads up on the world stage depends on your government. I urge you to make the decision in the interests of all of us and reject this project. As for we Albertans, the very best thing you can do for us is to creatively and generously assist us in the essential transition.

Sincerely
Bill Longstaff

cc. The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
    The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
    Greg McLean, MP Calgary Centre