Prime Minister's Youth Advisory Group members ask Trudeau to cancel Kinder Morgan expansion buyout
By Contributor
Unprecedented move by young Canadians to challenge the Prime Minister with the support of members of his own Youth Council.
July 16, Ottawa — 16 past and present Prime Minister’s Youth Council (PMYC) members are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to cancel the Kinder Morgan buyout . Today, young Canadian individuals including 16 members of the PMYC released a sign-on letter that outlines the reasons for their opposition to the federal government’s plans to purchase the Kinder Morgan pipeline.
The PMYC is a non-partisan advisory board to the Prime Minister, comprised of up to 30 youth between the ages of 16-24. PMYC members will be giving the letter to the Prime Minister in the coming weeks. It is an unprecedented move by young Canadians to challenge the Prime Minister with the support of members of his own Youth Council. The letter asks that the Prime Minister:
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Cancel the buyout of the Trans Mountain pipeline project on the grounds that it violates Indigenous rights, poses the threat of irreversible damage to British Columbia’s coast and brings the world many steps too close to global climate catastrophe.
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Condemn public statements and rhetoric that suggests the federal government should be prepared to kill protesters to build the pipeline, and to promise not to involve militarized police forces or escalate violence against protesters in any way.
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Discuss the buyout and responsible management of industry with the Prime Minister’s Youth Council as well as youth of affected groups.
Youth played a significant role in Trudeau’s 2015 election – youth voter turnout was unprecedented, and polling shows that youth support for the Liberal Party was overwhelmingly greater than support for other Parties in the lead-up to the election.
“Canadian youth voted overwhelmingly for Justin Trudeau to create a future for us that is not dependent on fossil fuels, but buying this pipeline simply prolongs our country’s reliance on oil. This pipeline is not in our interest, and as a representative of Canadian youth to the Prime Minister, I’m calling on him to cancel the Kinder Morgan buyout so we can work together toward a cleaner, more sustainable Canada,” said Elijah Dietrich, current member of the PMYC.
The letter can be viewed here.
