Evidence of meeting #27 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was community.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Is it to see...? In the documentary film Downstream, it appears that the blame for any health issues is pointed at the oil sands. And you've gone with Greenpeace to advocate for the removal of investment in the oil sands.
Is all the focus on the oil sands? Are they the total cause of any illnesses in Fort Chipewyan?
Physician, As an Individual
I don't know. I'm only saying that the documentation from science and the illnesses that these toxins can cause may purely coincidentally correspond with what I documented in Fort Chipewyan. It's very difficult not to make the connection, but I'm not saying there is an absolute connection and that this must stop.
We talked in Scandinavia about what should happen. StatoilHydro is a big investor and a green oil company. One of the suggestions I had was not to pull out but to use their very good profile and reputation as an example of what should be done, ask questions, and say we need to elucidate this. We have dirty oil; we don't want dirty and bloody oil on our hands.
If the tar sands toxins are indeed causing the illnesses in Fort Chipewyan, that's a major concern. We were told in Europe that if there was even a suspicion of an industry like this causing ill health in a community, there would be a major investigation and it would be stopped or slowed down. We are very surprised that there's been no mention of anything other than not touching the brakes.
Liberal
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Thank you.
I'd like to follow up on Mr. Warawa's line of questioning for a moment. You went to Scandinavia and you listened to Europeans. Does that make you less of a doctor?
Liberal
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
You speak with an accent. You spent time in Europe. Does that make you less of a Canadian?
Liberal
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Okay, thank you.
I just wanted to straighten that out, Mr. Warawa.
On the question of undue alarm that you were under, the people of Fort Chipewyan were told they couldn't eat the fish or play in the water. Was that before or after? Were they eating the fish before you showed up to let them know that?
Liberal
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
So it was your telling the community that perhaps there was danger in eating the fish that caused undue alarm.
Physician, As an Individual
The undue alarm complaint came in early 2007. The warning about the fish and the water came in November 2007 from Health Canada.
Liberal
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
So Health Canada is at least partially responsible for any changes in behaviour and the alarm the community went through.
Physician, As an Individual
If you were to talk to the community members, I'm sure you would get some agreement, although they still say that “alarm” isn't the word they use. They use the words “grave concern” and “anxiety”.
Liberal
Liberal
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Has there been any consultation with the people of Fort Chipewyan about that undue alarm and what it has caused them?
Liberal
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Thank you.
A concern we heard when we had other medical experts in was the issue around sample size. Fort Chipewyan's population is very small, therefore the difference between one person getting a rare cancer and two people getting cancer was perhaps not significant because there was such a small sample size that it blew it out of proportion statistically.
Can you give a sense of sample size and the issues around that? Why do you still feel that even though it was a small sample size there is cause for alarm?
