Help prevent an oil spill disaster in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Photo credit: René Ehrhardt via Flickr.

One of Canada's most magnificent waterways, the Gulf of St. Lawrence sustains millions of people, plants, and animals. Those who live in the region rely on the watershed for their livelihoods. But offshore oil prospecting and potential drilling are putting the health of the St. Lawrence and those who depend on it at risk.

Tell the federal minister of the environment and the government authorities to protect the Gulf of St. Lawrence from oil and gas development and potential disastrous spills

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To:

Hon. Peter Kent - Federal Minister of the Environment<peter.kent@parl.gc.ca>

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To the honourable Peter Kent,

Like many Canadians, I am concerned about the impacts of offshore exploration and drilling in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The quality of life and economic development of communities along the Gulf depend on its ecological integrity. That is why I am concerned about the environmental disasters this fragile ecosystem could be subjected to, through the development of the oil industry, if you do not take adequate measures. The Gulf of St. Lawrence should not suffer the same fate as the Gulf of Mexico.

I would like to see the Canadian government invest more efforts and to show leadership into protecting the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the many communities and ecosystems it supports.

I am aware that there have been seismic surveys conducted at the Old Harry prospect, which is located in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence’s Laurentian channel, and that there could be exploratory drilling at this prospect as soon as 2012. This channel is a fish pass for numerous marine species like the blue whale, whose Atlantic population is very low (and appears on the species at risk public registry), and the Atlantic cod, whose status in the Gulf of St. Lawrence remains worrisome.

Current government policy gives full control of offshore drilling activities to Petroleum Boards that are not managed by elected representatives, and that have the conflicting mandate to promote oil and gas exploration as well as protect the marine environments in the gulf. Such a Petroleum Board could be created in Quebec within the next few years following an agreement between Quebec and Ottawa in March 2011.

I believe that protecting the Gulf of St. Lawrence is a wise investment in Canada’s social, economic and ecological future, especially considering that the economies of Quebec and all the Atlantic Provinces rely on a healthy gulf to thrive.

I strongly urge you to impose an immediate moratorium on offshore exploration and drilling for the entire Gulf of St. Lawrence, and to show leadership by insuring that this region is managed in an integrated way. The provinces and the federal government must work together to protect critical marine environments, fisheries and wildlife, as well as the communities, that rely on this important area.

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