
CALGARY – Ecojustice executive director Devon Page made the following statement in response to the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench decision to dismiss an injunction application to suspend the provincial government’s Public Inquiry into Anti-Alberta Energy Campaigns until after a hearing on the inquiry’s legality can be held:
“The court’s decision, while disappointing, won’t stop Ecojustice from continuing to challenge the Kenney government’s inquiry into ‘anti-Alberta’ activities and expose it for the sham that it is.
“Canadians should be free to criticize Alberta’s unsustainable oil and gas policies without fear that judicial processes will be manipulated to silence them. Premier Kenney isn’t a tin-pot dictator.
“The court found that the harm posed by the inquiry is ‘speculative’ until a public report is released and that Ecojustice’s allegations such as political motivation and bias can be addressed in the main hearing. So, we’re headed to trial. That means more taxpayer dollars will go to defend a politically motivated stunt when they could be better used supporting Alberta’s schools, hospitals and the pandemic response.
“This inquiry is nothing more than a political stunt, without a legitimate objective or transparent fact-finding process, and Ecojustice remains committed to challenging the inquiry’s legality in court in the coming months.”
Background:
Ecojustice goes to court and uses the power of the law to defend nature, combat climate change, and fight for a healthy environment. Its strategic, innovative public interest lawsuits lead to legal precedents that deliver lasting solutions to Canada’s most urgent environmental problems. As Canada’s largest environmental law charity, Ecojustice operates offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, and Halifax.