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Olympics, prorogation, HST, conservation on Harper protesters' agendas

The people on the lawn of the British Columbia legislature during Prime Minister Stephen Harper's speech represented a range of causes.

“There are going to be a lot of different groups here today for very many reasons, but I believe that in the end we're culminating here because we're dissatisfied with the prorogation,” said Heather Tufts as a small crowd of perhaps 100 began to gather.

Some were there because they are opposed to the Olympics and others oppose the Harmonized Sales Tax, she said, but the majority were brought out by Canadians Against the Prorogation of Parliament.

“Many of us believe that goes against our democratic principles,” she said. “I had a rather visceral reaction to it when it occurred . . . It makes us feel like we don't have a participatory democracy anymore, that we're really here to just of toe the line and do what we're told and a lot of us here don't believe that.”

Other concerns include privatization and the selling off of public assets, said Phil Lyons. “They're here because they are so pissed off with the cutbacks that have been happening provincially and with the federal government's actions lately. They want to make sure Harper hears their voices, that's why they're here.”

Conservationist Vicky Husband said she was with a group who came to encourage provincial and federal politicians to protect former forest land near Victoria. “We're here to support the protection of the Western Forest Products lands that should never have been removed from Tree Farm License 25 on southern Vancouver Island,” she said.

Both governments should get behind proposals from Liberal member of parliament Keith Martin to protect the coast as an extension of the West Coast Trail and the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail and from the University of British Columbia to use some of the land for a research forest with no logging of the remaining old growth.

Unless the politicians act, 61 lots will go on the real estate market on March 8, she said.

Earlier in the day a separate protest asked the governments to put more resources into solving the missing women cases.

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.


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