The Prime Minister's office has forwarded to the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport a copy of your correspondence to the Honorable Hedy Fry, regarding supertankers in the waters of British Clumbia.

To protect the marine environment from tanker traffic, the department has implemented risk-mitigating measures ...

• Where can I read about these "risk-mitigating measures?
• Would these measures apply to supertankers in Douglas Channel?
• Has Transport Canada approved the shipment of oil via supertankers from Kitimat, via Douglas Channel, to the Pacific Ocean?

A study has been done and a report will soon be available to the public.

No approval is required from Transport Canada's Marine Safety office for any shipmemnts or projects.

Mr. Richard Stryde is no longer Minister Cannon's Special Assistant for Northern and Western Canada.

The TERMPOL study will be public and posted on Transport Canada's website by July 2008.

...approval from Transport Canada is not required for any shipments of oil and gas.

The link to the site http://tcinfo/marinesafety/laws/menu.htm, 

where you said I could read about the "risk-mitigating measures" that you claimed the department has implemented is a dead link.

Will you please send me a corrected link?

Will you please confirm: your previous advive that:

• Transport Canada is committed to ensuring a safe, efficient and environmentally responsible system for the transportation of goods, including oil.

• Approval from Transport Canada is not required for any shipments of oil or gas.

Is approval required from any department in the Canadian government for shipments of oil and gas, and if so, which department?

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Thank you for your recent e-mail soliciting my support for a policy resolution to ban tanker traffic in British Columbia during the Liberal Party of Canada (BC)’s Policy Convention last month.  I apologize for the delay in my reply.

I am pleased to inform you that this resolution, which I strongly supported, was adopted by the delegates at the convention and is now party policy.

The Conservative government maintains that no written ban exists in British Columbia.  This is simply false, former Environment Minister David Anderson has stated on a number of occasions that a written, concrete ban was in place when the Liberals left office in 2006. 

Stephen Harper’s reinterpretation of the wording of the ban is nothing short of playing politics.  Residents of British Columbia know that the rivers leading into Kitimalt are very difficult to navigate, and are populated by several species of fish that are on the verge of disappearing from B.C.  The strong possibility of an oil leak or environmental catastrophe is not worth the risk.

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• Is approval required from any department in the Canadian government for shipments of oil or gas, and if so, which department?

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• Who is the "the" referred to in the above sentence who can review and refuse entry entry to any vessel that could pose a risk to Canadian waters?

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Summary

Dear Dr. Fry

I am attaching a summary of my journey through our system of government in search of the minister responsible for the inevitable oil spill in beautiful Douglas Channel, which is on the proposed 240 km supertanker route between Kitimat and the Pacific.

...Dr. Fry, can I ask you again to help me find answers to my grave concerns.

• Will the Minister of Transport confirm that approval from his department is required for the shipments, including oil, through inspections by the Marine Safety Inspectors referred to in Sections 11 and 219 of the Canada Shipping Act?
  
• As the plans proceed to build a pipeline to Kitimat, what steps has the Minister of Transport taken to appoint a person to investigate the proposed situations or conditions that will, if left unattended, induce an accident or incident, such as a supertanker oil spill in the labyrinth of narrow fjords of British Columbia, as described in paragraph (a) of section 219 of the Canada Shipping Act, or is he waiting until the pipelines have been built before addressing this important issue?
  

(Full text at end of Summary

Dear Mr. Gannon,

I would first like to apologize for the delay in getting back to you. In regards to your email, I have tried without success to have the issue
clarified with the Minister of Natural Resources. I have had no luck in meeting with nor receiving adequate responses other than the one you got.

I agree with you that the risk of spills is high. You know Mr. Dion has grave concerns for the environment and would like to extend and strengthen the Ocean's Strategy which expires this year.

Thank you for your good wishes.

Sincerely,

Hon. Hedy Fry, M.P.
Vancouver Centre

October 14, 2008