“Water and Oil don’t Mix” — this was the message of an action I just spoke at, pulled together by the Canadian Youth Delegation outside of where UN climate negotiations are taking place.

You can watch the statement I gave here.

Juxtaposed with the Harper government’s news today about establishing a new marine park in Lancaster Sound, the action highlighted the threats posed by tanker traffic off the coast of B.C. and the pursuit of oil and gas in the Arctic.

While preserving ecologically important and sensitive areas in the Arctic is absolutely essential, oil spills do not respect boundaries. With the recent news of our government accepting money from two oil companies for the use of a Canadian Coast Guard incebreaker for research helping to make the case for offshore drilling and recognizing that drilling in the Beaufort Sea could commence as early as 2014, we must not allow the Harper government to whitewash its intentions in the Arctic.

Just yesterday, the Council of Canadians alongside the Indigenous Environment Network held a screening of Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change at an alternative space (Dialogo Climatico) in Cancun followed by a rich and informative strategy session on building alliances amongst organizations and activists opposing offshore drilling in the Arctic and the importance of mobilizing with affected communities, striving for alternatives that help build community economic resilience and “living well” (a concept we are discussing frequently here – in short, living in harmony with nature).

Andrea Harden-Donahue, Energy and Climate Justice Campaigner, Council of Canadians
www.canadians.org