VANCOUVER/UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) TERRITORIES — Sarah Korpan, Government relations and campaign manager made the following statement in reaction to the B.C. government’s newly released mandate letters to Cabinet ministers:
“We are extremely disappointed by the mandate letters from Premier David Eby to his new cabinet. They fail to carry forward even the bare minimum of previous commitments related to the prioritization of biodiversity and ecosystems.
“What these mandate letters signal is that the environment is nothing more than an afterthought for his government — old growth forests are not a visible focal point in the Minister of Forest’s mandate letter, and the Minister of Water Land and Resource Stewardship’s letter appears to be more focused on creating efficient permitting processes for industry than prioritizing biodiversity stewardship. Eby is attempting to focus on ‘kitchen table issues’ like affordability, but ironically and tragically, people in B.C. will be left paying the price for his decision to deprioritize the environment.
“The economy and cost of living are understandably top of mind for many British Columbians, as folks struggle to make ends meet, but ignoring the health of the environment will only make life harder and more expensive in the long run. Wildfires, droughts and floods driven by the climate and biodiversity crises come with detrimental community and economic impacts. Unfortunately, these letters fail to recognize that and instead appear to give industry a bigger ramp to continue prioritizing profits over the health and well-being of communities and the environment.
“We urge Premier David Eby to publicly reiterate and act on his previous commitments to legislation prioritizing the health of biodiversity and ecosystems and the protection of at-risk old growth forests.”