Editor:
Minorities increasingly are dictating their desires to the majority of Canadians by being the real and the often only voice governments hear on almost any subject.
The old saying “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” certainly becomes loud and clear where generally speaking and, overwhelmingly, it is the loudest voice the government hears on almost any subject, or as in another old saying — “The tail wagging the dog.”
Take the recent hearings on the New Prosperity Mine project. The majority of the voices heard by the Commission came from the natives themselves, regardless of how many dedicated concerned citizens spoke up for the project, percentage wise.
Those who put their voices forward in print and presentation other than the proponent were a slim majority, indeed.
Too many in society are expressing their opinions with each other, which has absolutely no value to a commission.
Seriously speaking, citizens hoping to see the mine developed did, or said, little.
The numbers of natives, including those in the community who seem to be against almost everything, virtually overwhelmed the commission.
I suspect a lot of these voices were mostly retired government employees; possibly also members of organizations that took offense at comments made by others regarding their dedicated attendance.
The majority of gritty working people, with little or no available attendance time, support the mine.
We have to look at how to market our product regardless what that product is.
This is where the majority fail, and the natives have done an excellent job of getting their concerns across to the commission — whether marching through the streets, getting in the news, or expressing their opinions and feelings by their drumming.
Anyone who thinks that the commission is not aware, or is not doing math, percentage wise, of voices heard, or is not cognizant of subtle aspects in this community, is dreaming.
While the commission was in the Williams Lake area, the basic message, a commission member may have developed, who in Williams Lake really cares whether the mine goes ahead or not?
However should Taseko lose this case, re-evaluation of why they lost will immediately be undertaken, and Taseko will address those issues.
The government should judge New Prosperity on facts and factual issues.
Taseko has spent millions in attempting to satisfactorily and fairly address those issues.
No one, regarding Prosperity, should ever forget that.
Doug Wilson
Williams Lake