VICTORIA, B.C. – In response to a Stand.Earth report finding ongoing logging in old growth deferral areas, the B.C. Green Caucus has issued the following statement:
“The BC NDP have betrayed the confidence of the public,” said Sonia Furstenau, leader of the B.C. Greens and MLA for Cowichan Valley. “Last year they promised to defer logging of 2.6 million hectares of BC’s remaining old growth forests. Today’s report from Stand.Earth shows that areas the government promised to defer are actively being logged.
“Meanwhile, the government keeps telling the public through a series of announcements that old growth is protected. The NDP needs to be honest with the public.”
“There is a clear double standard,” said Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands and member of Tsartlip First Nation. “This government will spend years consulting with First Nations on whether or not to implement deferrals, without consulting them on the logging that is actively taking place in the interim.
“The BC NDP have also failed to provide sufficient funding to First Nations who depend on forest revenue agreements to meet the basic needs of their communities. Meanwhile forestry corporations are permitted to run amok on Indigenous land, profiting from the liquidation of resources and exacerbating climate disasters that disproportionately impact Indigenous people.
“This is environmental racism. It is a betrayal of the principles of DRIPA and of the many promises that the BC NDP have made to Indigenous people and the public. To add insult to injury, they are blaming their lack of transparency and failure to protect old growth on the time it takes to meaningfully consult with Indigenous people. This is incorrect and sets a dangerous precedent for a colonial government to scapegoat Indigenous people.
“Deferrals are only meaningful when logging stops. In May we asked the Minister of Forests for updated maps. We’ve called for accountability and transparency from this government and received silence and excuses. Thank you to Stand.Earth and the UBCIC for shedding light on this ongoing destruction and failure of leadership.”
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Media contact
JoJo Beattie
Press Secretary
B.C. Green Caucus
+1 250-882-6187 | [email protected]