Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 21, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A8 EDITORIALS WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014 Freedom of Trade Liberty of Religion Equality of Civil Rights A 8 COMMENT EDITOR: Gerald Flood 204- 697- 7269 gerald. flood@ freepress. mb. ca winnipegfreepress. com EDITORIAL EDITORIAL P RIME Minister Stephen Harper should lift Canada's visa requirement on travellers from Mexico. It is a needless irritant to Canadians and Mexicans trying to do business. On July 13, 2009, Jason Kenney, who was then minister of immigration, imposed a visa requirement on travellers from Mexico and from the Czech Republic. The reason he gave in both cases was a sudden increase in numbers of asylum- seekers whose claims for refugee status proved to be unfounded. Three thousand Czech asylum- seekers had turned up in the preceding two years, and half of them withdrew their bids without awaiting a formal decision, which persuaded the minister they were bogus claims. In 2008, more than 9,400 Mexicans sought asylum in Canada and only 11 per cent were accepted. The Harper government lifted its visa requirement for Czech travellers last fall in order to win its longsought free trade agreement with the European Union. The EU had objected to Canada's visa for Czechs from the start and it became clear there would be no free trade agreement while the visa remained. Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said, in lifting the Czech visa, Canada had taken a second look at the Czech Republic and found it qualified for visa- free access to Canada. He did not, however, say how Czech law and policy had changed in the meantime. Canada, he explained, had also changed its refugee- determination process so bogus refugees would be swiftly removed. During Mr. Harper's brief and unproductive visit in Mexico this week, Mexican President Enrique Pe�a Nieto told journalists he understood the reasons Canada was continuing its visa for Mexican travellers and he thanked Mr. Harper for his willingness to continue the dialogue in the hope of eliminating the visa in the future. Mr. Harper said the visa was a non- negotiable sovereign matter and Canada had to continue its Mexican visa requirement because of security and illegalmigration concerns. Since President Pe�a understands Mr. Harper's reasons, he should look for a chance to explain them to puzzled Canadians. Mr. Harper now thinks it is a problem of security. Does he mean spies and terrorists, or something else? In July 2009, his minister thought it was a matter of providing more efficient service to other refugee claimants, but that explanation has now disappeared. It is idle to say the visa is a sovereign matter and not a subject for negotiation. The Czech visa was an issue in the free trade negotiations with the European Union and was resolved in that context. The claim it was lifted for other reasons is mere evasion. The supposed improvements in management of refugee claimants, if they were really a factor, should equally serve to resolve the Mexican case. Mexico is a continental neighbour and an important trade partner for Canada. It offers far more potential for Canadian trade growth than the Czech Republic. The visa restriction on Mexicans is obstructing students, tourists, investors, merchants, professionals and others who would contribute to the growth of both economies. It also sends an insulting message that Mexicans are not welcome in this country. When it came time to drop the Czech visa, Mr. Harper had his officials take a second look. The time has come to take a similar second look at Mexican conditions. T HE roar of victory could be heard across Canada, but it was loudest in Manitoba, which has been a curling powerhouse for more than 100 years. Jennifer Jones and her team not only won Olympic gold, they did it with a perfect 11- 0 record, which has only been done once before, by a Canadian men's team led by Kevin Martin. Ms. Jones won a world championship once, as well as four Canadian crowns. That puts her in elite company, an honour she shares with many Manitobans, men and women. Manitoba women have won the national curling title eight times since a women's event was established in 1961, while men have won 27 times since 1927. Given Manitoba's relatively small population, some explanation is needed for our high success rate with the rocks. Curling was played here before Manitoba was a province, but it was firmly established by the 1870s following the influx of Anglo- Protestants who brought with them their enthusiasm for the game. In the winter of 1902- 03, a group of Scottish curlers toured North American cities, including Winnipeg, which they quickly showered with superlatives for its skill and enthusiasm for the game. They called it one of the world's leading curling capitals and even " a curling mecca," according to Curling Capital: Winnipeg and the Roarin' Game, 1876 To 1988 , by Morris Mott and John Allardyce. It's an understatement to say Manitobans took to the game. A journalist once said Manitoba was " the curling cradle of the nation," while another called Winnipeg " a curling- mad city in a curling- mad province." It's no accident, then, that the Manitoba bonspiel is the world's largest. Women were encouraged to curl early in the province's history, even though it was known as " a manly sport." Ms. Jones' success is a legacy of that long tradition of competitive female curlers in Manitoba. The female tradition in hockey - Canada's national obsession - is not as strong, but hopefully the success of Canada's women's team will encourage more young women to take up the sport. Manitoba's curling organizations and the quality of its coaches are respected everywhere, while the media pay special attention to the game. That, and superstars such as Jennifer Jones, should help keep Manitoba in the national and international curling spotlight long into the future. V ANCOUVER - Carleen Thomas has an evocative message for the National Energy Board: Don't let a lust for oil riches destroy her community's dining- room table. Thomas, a member of the Tsleil- Waututh First Nation located in North Vancouver across Burrard Inlet from the existing Kinder Morgan pipeline terminal, fears a future oil spill would contaminate the area she calls home. " We are putting too much stress and pressure on our ecosystem and we have grown up with the saying that when the tide goes out, our table is set," the 53- year- old grandmother said. Thomas is project manager of the Sacred Trust Initiative, which was set up by Tsleil- Waututh to oppose Kinder Morgan's plans to dramatically expand its Trans Mountain pipeline. Indeed, the environmental war over pipelines in B. C. is heating up as approximately 36 First Nations have indicated they want to be part of NEB hearings into whether Kinder Morgan should be allowed to triple the amount of Alberta oil it is already shipping to the Pacific Ocean. Wary of increased oil spills occurring over land, the First Nations, joined by four Washington State bands, local politicians and environmentalists, also worry what will happen if seagoing oiltanker traffic is given the green light to increase from one vessel a week in Metro Vancouver's busy harbour to almost one a day. And they point out that, once loaded with oil bound for Asia, the 245- metre- long tankers will greatly raise the risks of an environmental catastrophe at the same time the world is learning it has to do something about climate change caused by burning fossil fuels. Visions of another Exxon Valdez disaster, which devastated Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989, occurring just off Vancouver's palmtree- lined beaches are driving First Nations in their quest to have the NEB turn down the Kinder Morgan proposal. Last week, the Tsleil- Waututh and other Coast Salish groups applied to take part in NEB hearings into the proposed twinning of the Trans Mountain pipeline, which was originally built six decades ago. The interveners include the Musqueam and Squamish nations in B. C. and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Tulalip Tribes, Lummi Nation and Suquamish Tribe in Washington State. The bands say the waters of Georgia Strait, which Burrard Inlet adjoins, the Juan de Fuca Strait and Puget Sound - together called the Salish Sea - and its marine inhabitants are already facing considerable environmental degradation. " Over the last 100 years, our most sacred site, the Salish Sea, has been deeply impacted by our pollution- based economy," Swinomish Chairman Brian Cladoosby said in a press release. " Every kind of pollution ends up in the Salish Sea. We have decided no more and we are stepping forward. It is up to this generation and future generations to restore and protect the precious waters of the Salish Sea." Trans Mountain filed an application with the NEB in December to expand its 1,150- kilometre pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby, a suburb just east of Vancouver. The company says the proposed $ 5.4- billion expansion project would increase capacity of Trans Mountain from approximately 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000 bpd. Kinder Morgan says its application addresses environmental, socio- economic, aboriginal engagement, landowner and public consultation, marine- risk assessments and engineering issues. The company adds that if approved, the expanded pipeline could be operational by late 2017. The pipeline expansion proposal is just the latest energy megaproject that seeks to use B. C. to ship fossil fuels to a rapidly developing Asia. Enbridge's Northern Gateway project would see a twinned pipeline carrying oilsands oil from Bruderheim in Alberta to Kitimat in B. C. A number of companies are also developing plans to ship natural gas to B. C.' s northern coast and turn the fuel into liquefied natural gas for export. In addition, there are plans to increase coal shipments from Vancouver's harbour and a facility on the Fraser River in nearby Surrey. Many, if not all, of the proposals have been criticized by First Nations, mayors and various environmental groups who say B. C.' s wilderness and coastline are too precious to remain a business- as- usual pawn in the continued use of carbon- laden fossil fuels. For the most part, federal and provincial politicians, like the energy companies behind the various B. C. proposals, want to be full participants in a new and lucrative 21st- century bonanza. After all, huge money is at stake here and British Columbia could certainly reap its share. Continually ignoring the rising drumbeat of depressing climate change news as a mere inconvenient truth, these political and business leaders seem trapped in yesterday's business models and so far are content to pass on any messes they make to the next generation. But not Thomas, whose great- uncle was author and Academy Award- nominated actor Chief Dan George. A lifetime of living across from Kinder Morgan's pipeline terminal has convinced Thomas - who wants her grandchildren to also be able to enjoy the generous bounty of the ocean - that society should be turning away from fossil fuels and instead be focusing on greener alternatives such as renewable energy sources. And she added that the fight against the Kinder Morgan expansion should also be seen as a Canadian issue and not just something that First Nations reject. " There's too much at risk here." Chris Rose is the Winnipeg Free Press West Coast correspondent. First Nations uniting against pipeline CHRIS ROSE Mexicans should not need visas Jones' success rooted in history DAVE OBEE / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Carleen Thomas of Tsleil- Waututh First Nation performs a dance. Her nation opposes a pipeline expansion. A_ 10_ Feb- 21- 14_ FP_ 01. indd A8 2/ 20/ 14 8: 29: 06 PM ;