Written by Rafe Mair
Monday, 06 July 2009 15:51

Premier Campbell … if you think that the ravishing of our rivers for private power with private profits off public property will be tolerated because of the election result you are very mistaken indeed. As John Paul Jones said, “we’ve just begun to fight” - as the recent overflow meeting in Kaslo demonstrated.

You were fortunate, Premier, that the opposition ran such a bad campaign. They never understood the rivers issue and left that work to others outside the political process. You are also lucky that your disgraceful policy is so bad no one believes the consequences. What sane government, it’s asked, would give away billions of dollars to private companies to destroy BC Rivers, for power BC Hydro must buy but can’t use, bankrupting BC Hydro in the process? The answer is, of course, that no sane, decent, caring government would ever think of this idiocy let alone embrace it.

You also think you’ll continue to wipe out our salmon with your fish farm policy which has now become a certified conspiracy with the federal government. On both these issues you’ll face ever increasing anger from citizens. If these issues turn nasty – and all history tells us that’s likely – it will be on your head. You won’t debate these issues; nor will any of your MLAs because you know you’re dead wrong and that what you’re doing amounts to a crime against the environment that belongs to us all, not just General Electric and Marine Harvest.

Yes, Save Our Rivers Society will continue to fight and rally honest citizens to the cause. You are politically right to be gutless and prevent your minister to take the podium with me because you know you have no case – as no doubt he knows too.

I don’t know what’s happened to the Gordon Campbell who once fought Alcan to save the Stuart Sockeye, telling me that he couldn’t live with himself if the wonderful sockeye salmon he’d seen on a billboard would not be there for his children and grandchildren. What did happen, Premier? A lust for power? A greed for corporate approval? Did power convert you to fascism with occasional elections?

Whatever happened, you’ve ignited a fury that won’t easily be extinguished.