Mike Holland, Liberal candidate for Vancouver Island North, traveled the riding this week from Port Hardy to Comox to support Bill C-606, a private member’s bill by Vancouver-Quadra Liberal MP Joyce Murray that would formalize the moratorium on the shipping of crude oil in the dangerous inland waters around Haida Gwaii and off Northern Vancouver Island.
Although established by the Liberal government in 1972, the Harper Conservatives refuse to recognize the moratorium, or the incredible risk to our coastal communities, tourism and fishery industries that tanker traffic and an oil spill would pose.
On Tuesday, Holland visited Port Hardy and Port McNeill to meet with locals about the issue. He met with community members at Café Guido and at the Thunderbird mall in Port Hardy, and later main-streeted in Port NcNeill, and in both communities he heard concern about coastal tanker traffic.
The next day, Holland was joined by Joyce Murray for events in Campbell River and Comox. In Campbell River, she met with Mayor Charlie Cornfield, area environmentalists and the general public. Soon after in Comox, Murray spoke another group of concerned citizens before continuing down-island to several other speaking engagements.
And here’s some of the local press coverage of the events:
Campbell River Mirror: Liberal MP calls on public to support oil tanker ban
Comox Valley Echo: Liberal B.C. MP warns ‘oil spill could change province forever’
Comox Valley Record: Keep tankers off north coast of Vancouver Island
Mike Holland meets with residents in Port McNeill
Joyce Murray speaks with community members in Campbell River
Joyce Murray hears local concerns in Comox
