Letter to Honourable John Duncan

Dear Mr Duncan,

As a long-time BC Coast MP, and as a member of the Cabinet charged with deciding whether to permit Enbridge's plans to ship dilbit from Kitimat by enormous tanker to proceed, you are uniquely qualified to educate your fellow MPs on the subject.
I therefore ask you, on behalf of your electors, to speak up for us, our interests, and the coast where we are privileged to live.
As you well know, this issue crosses party lines for those of us living on the BC coast: we know that oil tankers in the unusually-hazardous waters of Hecate Strait and the Douglas Channel are potentially a recipe for the destruction of our way of life and economy, not to even mention the semi-pristine environment we currently enjoy.
You have undoubtedly seen the Jack Knox column in today's Times-Colonist. I draw your attention particularly to a portion of it where he nails the issue:

Here in B.C. — at least on the coast — the tale is told differently, and it has little to do with wanting more money or being anti-industry or anti-oil; most of us drive cars and know we need to get the fuel from somewhere. Nor is the story about global warming, or whether or not the oilsands are dirty, or even about the pipelines themselves. It’s about what happens to the oil after it hits salt water.
Simply put, people fear that adding 220 supertankers a year to the snotty waters of B.C.’s inner coast would be rolling the dice on another Exxon Valdez.   

I urge you, as a person of influence in your government and as our MP,  to make representations on this issue to the MPs from other parts of Canada who may not understand the depth of our opposition to Enbridge's plans, and to truly represent us, as you have promised to do so often in the past.
Yours very sincerely,