About 60 youth, mostly high students, gathered at the Port of Metro Vancouver offices at Canada Place to ask the Port to reconsider its decision to expand coal exports out of Vancouver by 14 million tonnes. They held hand painted signs with slogans such as “Coal Kills” and “It’s Our Future.” Three students gave speeches stating the case that the Port’s decision will have devastating consequences for their future. Here’s Sam Harrison’s speech, some of it call and response:
The federal government says the Port’s mandate is to “act with broad public support in the best interest of Canadians.” The federal government, the body in charge of our exports and harbours, can consider whatever they like when reviewing thing like this. They have delegated that decision making authority to those on the other side of these walls.
We’re the ones who are inheriting the risk from this. Is it in our best interest?
No!
Does this look like broad public support?
No!
It’s our Canada, It’s our future.
IT’S OUR FUTURE! IT’S OUR FUTURE!....
Port Metro Vancouver is the entity that reviewed and approved this project. They could have said no. It’s as simple as that. They have repeatedly ignored concerns from community members, the mayor of the city, the BC lung association, and from leaders all over fighting for action on climate change. Sure, they aren’t required by law to consider climate change in this review, but they also aren’t prevented from it. They have the authority to consider climate change and they chose not to use it.
This means one of two things: they went out of their way not to consider it, or they did consider it and just don’t care.
If you go inside that door and walk down the hall, there is a wall detailing the port’s commitment to sustainability.
They boast about powering ships docked in the port with clean hydroelectricity, and how that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It’s just hypocritical to take credit for filling a coal ship using clean energy. In the big picture, it doesn’t matter if the lights in five offices on the other side of these windows are energy efficient if the decisions made in those offices are approving project that will lead to emissions greater than the yearly emissions of 99 entire countries.
On those walls, there is quote saying “we are working towards the significant reduction of Port-Related contributions to climate change.” That’s just a lie. They have made a decision that will increase global greenhouse gas emissions by 13 million tonnes and they’re considering a proposal that will add another 16 million tonnes. It doesn’t get more “port-related” than that and it’s sure NOT reducing the Port’s contributions to climate change!
That’s not the kind of economy we want. It’s our economy, it’s our Canada, and it’s our future.
I’m tired of the excuses, the Port saying “it’s not our jurisdiction.” It’s happening on their land and they were the ones who reviewed whether it was in our best interest. That sounds like jurisdiction to me. They don’t lack the authority. They lack the courage.
JUST SAY NO!
I’m tired of them saying “it’s just our job to engage in trade,” sure, but their job isn’t to roll over to the wants of coal corporations. It’s their job to stand up for the interests of Canadians -present and future ones. Approving these expansions and continuing to build economy based on the export of carbon dioxide emitting fossil fuels is a fundamental betrayal of our generation.
We’re not fighting this because we hate corporations. We’re here because our future depends on it. We’re at a pivotal point in human history where our well-being and the well-being of our future children depend on us. Port Metro Vancouver, stand up for us!
We’re not some group of foreign funded radicals. We are just a bunch of kids. Kids just like theirs. Like their sons, daughters, neighbours, maybe their grandchildren. We’re kids and we’re scared for what the future holds. Their generation has made it bad enough for us. They owe it to us to not make it worse. Show some leadership Port Metro Vancouver, it’s your moral responsibility!
We asked the board of directors to meet with us. They’re the decision makers; they’re the ones who are accountable for this decision. Learning that they don’t all live in Vancouver, we simply asked to meet with Craig Neeser, the chair of the Board. After having to ask multiple times and extensive emailing with the port, he took 5 minutes out of his day to write us a letter saying he won’t meet with us.
COWARD! SHAME ON YOU!
Craig Neeser, Chair of the Board of Port of Metro Vancouver
The Port pays him around $100,000 to attend a minimum of only six meetings and a two day retreat. He couldn’t take 15 minutes out of his day to meet with a bunch of kids who will pay the price for his decisions.
COWARD! SHAME ON YOU!
One of the staff has offered to meet with us. He is not accountable for these decisions. Do we want to meet with him anyway?
(mixed response from the crowd)
It’s an open invitation so if we want to we can call them and they will come out here and talk to us.
Let’s do it!
IT’S OUR FUTURE, IT’S OUR FUTURE .......
Sam then spoke with the Port’s public relations officer who told him the Vice President for Social Responsibility was available to speak with them, but the room would only hold seven people. Seven kids went to meet with three Port representatives, no press, no adults in support, while the remaining kids stood at the door to the meeting room and waited for about an hour.
A girl of about six, one of several performers from Bowen Island, objected to having to leave the protest early to catch the ferry.
“ Do we have to go?,” she pleaded. “I want to see what happens. I want to see if the Port people start crying.”
When Sam and the other six returned, Sam told the rest of the youth:
They told us we are wasting our time and that we should take this somewhere else. Where else do they want us to take it? They said it is not in their jurisdiction, which is questionable, and that they would like to discuss this further. They were talking about organizing an event or something where they would like have people from both sides come, scientists and the public and Members of Parliament.
Will they delay signing until they have a meeting with you?
They didn’t say. When we asked them if they would say no to the Fraser Surrey expansion, they said they might say no. It could be them not being entirely honest with us.
Did they give you a date?
They did not give us a date. They said they would get back to us.
The youth then discussed whether they should be positive and appreciate the invitation to talk more, or whether the Port was manipulating their good intentions with a public relations ploy to distract them. They decided to believe that the Port would do the right thing.