Let’s protect the Gulf of St. Lawrence from oil and gas development! | Sierra Club Canada

Let’s protect the Gulf of St. Lawrence from oil and gas development! | Sierra Club Canada

The Gulf of St. Lawrence is an exceptional, highly productive ecosystem supporting abundant flora, fauna, spawning and migration of over 2200 marine species while being at the heart of the economy of the provinces that surround it through fishing and tourism.

Coastal communities have always depended on the Gulf of St. Lawrence for their livelihood. For instance, the sustainable industries of fishing and tourism represent over two billion dollars annually in addition to supporting tens of thousands of jobs in the five provinces bordering the Gulf.

As highlighted in a recent report published by the St. Lawrence Coalition, these jobs and ecosystems of the Gulf of St. Lawrence are endangered by the imminent arrival of the oil industry while exploratory
drilling projects are being contemplated in the heart of the Gulf.

Are we willing to risk the health of this unique environment, the prosperity of the communities that depend on it and the biodiversity that the Gulf of St. Lawrence provides for hypothetical and
unsustainable oil revenues?

Tell our federal and provincial governments to work together to protect the Gulf of St. Lawrence from oil and gas exploration and exploitation projects by establishing a moratorium for the entire gulf
as well as calling a thorough and extensive interprovincial public consultation on the oil and gas issue in the gulf.