mister enbridge and the flood

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    Mesdames et messieurs les commissaires,

    Ces audiences donneront la parole quelques dizaines de personnes et dorganismes quevous, de lOffice national de lnergie, avez jugs comptents ou directement touchs par le projet de la compagnie Enbridge. Or, la population canadienne tout entire et mmeau-del de nos frontires sera directement touche par ce projet, sil se ralisait. Enrestreignant les rgles dadmissibilit et en compliquant les procdures de participation,vous et le gouvernement fdral en place - vous avez choisi de ne pas nous entendre.

    Cest pourquoi, aujourdhui, dans cette salle, nous allons prendre la parole au nom detous ceux et celles qui ont t carts. Peut-tre les entendrez-vous travers ce petit conteintitul :

    Monsieur Enbridge et le dluge

    Quelque part dans un grand pays rempli dor noir, un monsieur trs riche, nommEnbridge, voulait transporter cet or noir, quil appelait du bitume dilu, dans un vieuxtuyau qui traversait une partie du grand pays. Ce tuyau passait en dessous des terres des

    cultivateurs et des peuples autochtones; il traversait aussi des villes, des villages et descours deau. Comme ce tuyau navait jamais transport de bitume dilu, des gens

    pensaient quil pouvait se briser plus facilemen t. Ces gens savaient aussi que monsieur Enbridge possdait beaucoup de tuyaux qui se brisaient souvent et qui faisaient beaucoupde dgts. Mais la plupart des habitants du grand pays ignoraient ces dangers parce quemonsieur Enbridge ne voulait pas en parler.

    Un jour, un cultivateur qui avait appris quun vieux tuyau passait en dessous de ses terrestlphona monsieur Enbridge :

    Monsieur Enbridge, votre tuyau passe sous mes terres. Sil se brise, lor noir couleradans mon puits et dans la rivire; il dtruira mes cultures et empoisonnera mon eau; mes

    animaux mourront, ma vie sera dtruite. Quest -ce que vous comptez faire pour a ne produise pas?

    Monsieur Enbridge dit au cultivateur :

    Monsieur, sachez que mon tuyau est scuritaire, il ne brise pas pa rce que je lentretiensconvenablement

    Le cultivateur, peu rassur, insista :

    Monsieur Enbridge, je veux bien vous croire, mais si, malgr toutes vos prcautions,votre vieux tuyau se brise, quest -ce que va arriver?

    Monsieur Enbridge lui rpondit un peu schement, avant de raccrocher le tlphone :Monsieur le cultivateur, aprs moi le dluge

    Un peu plus tard, des reprsentants dune communaut autochtone traverse par le vieuxtuyau allrent rencontrer monsieur Enbridge.

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    Monsieur Enbridge, nous refusons que votre tuyau transporte du bitume dilu traversnotre territoire. Cette terre nous appartient, elle tait celle de nos anctres et sera celle denos enfants. Nous vivons de la chasse et de la pche; le tuyau qui traverse notre territoiremenace de dtruire jamais notre mode de vie.

    Mon tuyau est sourd et aveugle, leur rpondit monsieur Enbridge; il suit son chemin, peu importe qui appartient la terre. De toute faon, aprs moi le dluge

    Une femme qui habitait la ville entendit parler du projet de monsieur Enbridge. Cettefemme vivait prs dune grosse usine quon appelait une raffinerie. Quand elle apprit quele vieux tuyau transporterait du bitume dilu jusqu la raffinerie, elle commena sinquiter. Elle se demanda ce qui sortirait de la chemine de la grosse usine; est-ce quece serait mauvais pour sa sant? Elle sinquitait aussi parce que lair de sa ville tait dj

    pollu et que beaucoup de gens autour delle taient malades. Pour avoir des rponses ses questions, elle dcida de se rendre au bureau de monsieur Enbridge, qui tait situtout prs de chez elle.

    Monsieur Enbridge, lui demanda-t- elle, jhabite tout prs de lusine qui transformeravotre bitume dilu en or noir. Est-ce que je dois craindre pour ma sant?

    Mons ieur Enbridge, lair un peu ennuy, lui rpondit:

    Madame, moi je transporte du bitume dilu. Ce qui se passe avant et aprs, ce nest pasmon domaine, je ne men soucie pas. Aprs moi, le dluge.

    Au cours dune fte denfants o monsieur Enbridge tait prsent et distribuait descadeaux, un jeune garon se prsenta lui.

    Monsieur Enbridge, lautre jour, jai entendu quelquun qui disait que si on continue sortir lor noir de la terre, la plante serait bientt en danger; il y aura plus dinondations , plus de scheresse, plus douragans; des pays seront dtruits et beaucoup de gensmourront. Alors, nous les jeunes, quest -ce quon va devenir si a se produit? Et vous,Monsieur Enbridge, pourquoi continuez- vous transporter de lor noir dans vostuyaux?

    Monsieur Enbridge, imperturbable, lui dit :

    Moi, jeune homme, plus je transporte dor noir, plus je suis riche; je ne pense pas lavenir; les problmes futurs de la plante, a ne me touche pas. Aprs moi le dluge.

    Quand le cultivateur, les reprsentants de la communaut autochtone, la femme de la villeet lenfant comprirent que le projet de monsieur Enbridge menaait leur vie et leur avenir et que monsieur Enbridge lui- mme ne sen souciait pas, ils dcidrent de sunir pour viter que ne se produise.

    FIN

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    Ladies and Gentlemen,

    These audiences give the right of speech to a dozen people and organizations that the National Energy Board considers either qualified or directly affected by Enbridges pipeline project. Though, it is the whole Can adian population, even the worlds

    population that will be directly affected by this project if it comes to be implanted. Byrestraining the admission rules and by complicating the procedures for applicants, the National Energy Board and the federal government have chosen not to hear what we haveto say.

    This is why today, in this room, we are speaking for all those who did not have the rightto speak today. Maybe you will choose to listen to them with this fable called:

    Mister Enbridge and the flood

    Somewhere in a very big country filled with black gold, a very rich man called Enbridge,

    wanted to transport that black gold, called diluted bitumen, in an old pipeline that wouldcross a big part of this very big country. This pipeline passed under the land of farmersand under the land of indigenous people; it also crossed cities and villages, it evencrossed important water sources. And because this old pipeline had never once haddiluted bitumen pass through it, some people thought it might easily break. Some peoplealso knew that Mister Enbridge has a lot of pipelines that breaks and that makes big ickymesses. But not everyone in this very big country knew why this pipeline was dangerous

    because Mister Enbridge never wanted to talk about it.

    One day, a farmer just learned that this old pipeline would pass under his land. So, hecalled Mister Enbridge:

    Mister Enbridge, your pipeline passes under my land. If it breaks, this black gold of yours will leak in my well and in the river. It will kill my crops and poison my water.Then, my animals will die and my life will be shattered. What do can you do to makesure this doesnt happen?

    Mister Enbridge says to the farmer:Sir, you should know my pipeline is safe. It does not break because I take good care of it.

    Not so assured, the farmer replies:Mister Enbridge, I would like to believe you, but what if, even after all your care, thisold pipeline breaks, what will happen?

    Mister Enbridge tells the farmer in a cold tone just before hanging up the phone:Dear farmer, after me, comes the flood.

    A little while later, members of an indigenous community, of which the old pipelinecrosses their land, go to meet with Mister Enbridge:

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    Mister Enbridge, we refuse that your old pipeline that carries this dilu ted bitumencrosses our land. This land is ours, it was our ancestors and it will be our childrens land.We live off of hunting and fishing. This pipeline is a great danger to our way of life.

    To this Mister Enbridge replies:

    My pipeline is deft and bl ind. It follows its route, no matter what land belongs to whom.After me, comes the flood.

    A woman who lives in the city heard about Mister Enbridges project. This woman livesclose to a big factory, a factory that we call a refinery. When she heard that this old

    pipeline would carry diluted bitumen to this refinery, she began to feel worried. Sheasked herself: What will come out of the chimney of this refinery? Is it bad for her health? She was worried because her city was already much polluted and she knew

    people around her that were sick. To have answers to her questions, she decided to go toMister Enbridges office, which was close to her house.

    Mister Enbridge, she asked, I live close to the refinery that will transform the diluted bitumen into black gold . Must I be worried for my health?

    Mister Enbridge, with a bored look on his face, replies:Madame, I carry diluted bitumen. What happens before or after is not my concern. After me, comes the flood.

    During a childrens birthday party, where Mister Enbridge was present and distributinggifts, a young boy came up to him:

    Mister Enbridge, the other day, someone told me that if we keep taking the black goldfrom the land, our planet will be in a lot of trouble. There will be more floods, moredroughts, more hurricanes, many countries will be destroyed and a lot of people will die.What about us, the young ones, what will we do if that happens? Why do you keepcarrying this black gold through your old pipeline?

    Mister Enbridge, completely unaffected, answers:You see, young man, the more I carry this black gold through my pipeline, the richer Iam. I dont think about the future and I dont care about the potential problems of our

    planet. After me, comes the flood.

    When the farmer, the members of the indigenous community, the woman living in thecity and the young boy understood that Mister Enbridges project was a treat to their livesand that Mister Enbridge did not care, they decided to come together to keep the floodfrom coming.