CIIT Committee Report
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New Democratic Party of Canada
Dissenting Report
The New Democratic Party of Canada does not support Recommendation 9 of this report. It is the position of the New Democratic Party of Canada that construction of the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 at the Port of Vancouver will cause immediate, and irreversible damage to the environment. In particular, this development will have a negative impact on the nutritional quality of intertidal biofilm on the Fraser River Estuary. Intertidal biofilm is a thin layer of microalgae, bacteria, and other microorganisms embedded in a mucous-like layer that sits on the surface of tidal flats. Intertidal biofilm is the primary food source for many species of shorebirds during their long-distance migrations.
New Democrats are of the opinion that approval of this development as planned was based on incomplete environmental understanding of the threats to shorebirds and in particular the endangerment of the entire species of Western Sandpipers. It is the New Democrats’ position that unless this development is significantly modified it will cause damage to Canada’s Fraser River ecosystem that cannot be mitigated.