The Green Party of Canada and Green Party of Nova Scotia released the following joint statement that calls on federal ministers to prevent offshore drilling exploration from continuing in the Gulf of St. Lawrence:
On Sept. 16, 2016, the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (CNLOPB) announced its intention to issue an exploration licence to Corridor Resources Inc. in the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Area.
If approved by federal ministers, the licence will trigger a review process to permit deepwater drilling operations in the area commonly referred to as ‘Old Harry.’ The licence has been continually renewed without a proper environmental assessment, and this new permit will allow Corridor Resources Inc. to again pursue offshore drilling rights.
“The continuous renewal of an exploration license in environmentally sensitive areas of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence is shocking,” said Thomas Trappenberg, Leader of the Green Party of Nova Scotia. “Atlantic Canadians demand due process and transparency and an environmental review process that relies on fact and not simply the desires of the oil and gas industry.”
"The high-handed, pro-industry bias of CNLOPB is further proof that it must not be responsible for environmental assessment of offshore oil and gas,” said Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada (MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands).
“Thanks to Stephen Harper's omnibus Bill C-38, any Corridor drilling will not go through a rigorous review as it would have under the pre-2012 Canada Environmental Assessment Act. Instead, oil exploration would be reviewed only by CNLOPB and not an independent review panel. The damage done to environmental assessment law by the previous administration must be repaired so that dangerous offshore projects receive proper review,” Ms. May said.