British Columbia Mining Minster Bill Bennett is deriding those who want to turn the Flathead Valley into a national park as “urban-based enviro’s” and eco-fascists in an e-mail missive that urges his constituents to lobby Ottawa to turn down any request for such a park.
“We either stand strong together against the loss of the Flathead Valley to the eco facists [sic], or we will lose the Flathead. I am there, if you are there,” he writes in an e-mail sent Monday and obtained by The Globe and Mail.
It’s the latest in a string of e-mail mishaps from Mr. Bennett, who resigned from the B.C. cabinet three years ago after telling an American-born constituent that, “I don’t give a shit what your opinion is on Canada or Canadian residents.” That e-mail was in part a retort to questions about big-game hunting in the Flathead Valley.
In the February throne speech, the B.C. Liberals banned oil and gas, and mining activity in the Flathead, bowing to pressure from the state of Montana. But the B.C. government said it would still allow forestry, as well as hunting, angling and other outdoor industries to continue.
Environmentalists are pushing for a national park designation for the lower third of the Flathead Valley, which would further and more tightly constrain economic activities – a push that Mr. Bennett pushed back at in his Monday e-mail.
“It occurs to me that I should try to illustrate just how unrelenting these urban-based enviro’s are,” he wrote after hearing of a Sierra Club member appearing on a radio talk show.
In an interview, Mr. Bennett said he regretted the use of the term eco-fascist, saying a staff member had inserted it into the e-mail without his knowledge or agreement, and that he has given instructions that it not be used again.
He said he intends to apologize for the use of the “very unfortunate” term – but that apology will not be directed at environmentalists. “I have many friends in the Jewish community, and I think that’s where my sensitivity goes, first off the bat. I certainly don’t mean any offence to them.”
Far from apologizing, he said environmentalists “have a tendency” to lie, exaggerate and use fear tactics to attain their goals, and are often motivated by self-aggrandizement. “It becomes a matter of ego, some times for these folks, to chalk up another big win on the map of British Columbia, and say, there, we’ve set aside another area that we can claim for our own,” he said.
Beyond the use of the term eco-fascist, Mr. Bennett said he otherwise stands by the content of his e-mail, including a reference that he only “reluctantly” agreed to the ban on oil and gas, and mining. At the time of that announcement, Mr. Bennett had voiced his strong agreement with the policy. In his interview with The Globe, Mr. Bennett said he did not see a contradiction between his professed reluctance and his endorsement of the Flathead Valley restrictions.
NDP environment critic Rob Fleming said the language in the e-mail is shocking, and that the blanket criticism of environmentalists calls into question whether the minister will fairly assess environmental criticisms and concerns about mining projects. “Premier Campbell has to ask himself if he wants somebody like that sitting in his front bench,” he said.
Mr. Campbell was not available for comment Tuesday.
Environmental groups said they would not take Mr. Bennett’s continued presence in cabinet to mean the Campbell government is dismissive of environmental concerns, but they bristled at the tone of the mining minister’s comments. “What’s an eco-fascist? I don’t think I’ve ever met one,” said Eric Swanson of the Dogwood Initiative.
However, Mr. Bennett has supporters aplenty in his Kootenay East riding in the B.C. interior, particularly among those whose livelihoods depend on using the wilderness of the Flathead Valley for hunting and fishing. “Bill’s right,” said David Beranek, who owns Packhorse Creek Outfitters Ltd. “I think his temper gets to him sometimes,” he added.
