In Vancouver it rains, a lot.  There are days when, after the rain, double rainbows appear in the sky.  Well, today we had double environmental rainbows here on the west coast. 

Rainbow #1

Just now, the House of Commons passed a motion calling for the Conservative government to propose legislation that would ban crude-oil tanker traffic off British Columbia's north coast.  This is the work of opposition parties uniting, doing the right thing, and isolating Harper and his fellows as environmental bottom-feeders.  The motion doesn’t force the government to legislate a ban, but it does strike another blow to Enbridge’s dream of bringing over 200 oil supertankers a year to British Columbia’s precious Great Bear Rainforest.

This comes less than one week after 61 First Nations from the Fraser River watershed (Enbridge’s proposed pipeline will pass over it) declared a ban on tar sands oil and oil pipelines through their territories.

The following is the text of NDP MP Nathan Cullen’s motion:

December 2, 2010 — Mr. Cullen (Skeena—Bulkley Valley) — “That, in the opinion of the House, the government should immediately propose legislation to ban bulk oil tanker traffic in the Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound as a way to protect the West Coast’s unique and diverse ocean ecosystem, to preserve the marine resources which sustain the community and regional economies of British Columbia, and to honour the extensive First Nations rights and title in the area.”

Rainbow #2

Also today, we (Greenpeace), along with other environmental groups won a landmark decision in Canadian Federal Court, which ruled today that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has failed to adequately protect critical habitat of B.C.’s resident killer whales.

The win ensures stronger legal protection for all of Canada's marine endangered species.

Visit Sarah King’s blog for more info on this second rainbow.

Conclusion

We don’t often get two pieces of good news for Canada’s west coast in one day.  While we haven’t solved all the environmental problems facing Beautiful British Columbia, we can pause to celebrate the benchmarks along the way that tell us we are an effective force for the environment.

Tomorrow, we can get on Harper to enact a full legal ban for the whole B.C. coast; we can get on DFO to actually take the action to protect orca critical habitat that it was already supposed to be doing; and we can get on the B.C. government to increase the protection of old growth in the Great Bear Rainforest to what it promised in 2006. 

Today, I am enjoying the double rainbow.

Stephanie Goodwin is Greenpeace’s B.C. Director working from Vancouver.