Opposition to the expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline in Western Canada is intensifying in Quebec, where 120 personalities and organizations from various walks of life launched a call for a major march on May 27th.
Opponents criticize Justin Trudeau's government - and the Prime Minister himself - for misleading discourse on this issue.
They argue that Trudeau, who had promised to stop subsidizing the oil industry during the election campaign, now says he is ready to support the proposed expansion of the Texas-based Kinder Morgan pipeline that will transport oil sands oil from Alberta to the Port of Vancouver in British Columbia.
On the other hand, they argue that the government's claims that it is possible to reconcile the growth of the oil sands industry with a climate policy are false.
They believe the $7.4 billion project, which will contribute to the development of Alberta's oil industry, would prevent Canada from meeting its greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets.
They point out that the additional oil production required to power the pipeline would add between 13.5 and 17 million tonnes of gas emissions a year, according to data from the federal government.
Opponents listed a series of significant environmental risks that the pipeline would pose. It would traverse the Rockies, 1,500 waterways, First Nations-occupied lands and whose oil will require the annual addition of 400 tankers to Vancouver's waters and the Salish Sea, which is home to a colony of less than one hundred endangered killer whales, among others.
