A group of about 40 Mission residents held a protest rally today (June 4) in front of MP Jati Sidhu’s office. The group was voicing its disapproval over the Trudeau government’s decision to buy the Kinder Morgan pipeline for $4.5 billion.
Organizers said the demonstration was one of more than 100 such protests expected to take place at MPs’ offices across Canada as part of a National Day of Action to Stop the Kinder Morgan Buyout.
Terry Wilkinson, who helped host and coordinate the event said she only found out yesterday that there was no protest planned for the Mission area.
“My original plan was to drive to Chilliwack but I thought why not do it here. There are people here who have a voice as well,” she explained.
Considering it was put together in less than a day, Wilkinson said she was happy with such a large turnout.
“We as tax paying citizens do not agree with the recent decision of using taxpayers money to pay for Kinder Morgan, which we don’t agree with in the first place. So not only is it an environmental disaster waiting to happen, it’s now a financial disaster that has happened.”
Wilkinson is also a wild salmon defender who likes to educate people about all of the things that are going against the salmon, which includes, but isn’t limited to, the pipeline.
During the protest, the group sang, listened to Aboriginal drumming and had the opportunity to speak out.
One speaker, Tracy Lister, said she was outraged by the recent events.
“This is also a pipeline that will pollute our air and we know that it is completely out of line with our climate commitments that we made in Paris and is the wrong way to go… it is the opposite of what the government has promised.”
While Jati Sidhu was not in his Mission office, he is currently in Ottawa, his constituency office staff manager Seamus Heffernan came out to speak to the protesters.
Heffernan thanks the group for coming out and informed them that Sidhu knows they were there. He also said he would pass their message on to the MP and, if requested, could try to arrange a meeting in the future.
