This is Democracy?

As per Bill C-38 – last springs omnibus budget bill....

Members of the public who want to send a letter with comments to the NEB about a pipeline project must first apply for permission to participate – by filling out a 10-page form that includes a request for a resume and references. 
Under the new rules, any Ontario resident who lives along the 639-km pipeline route who wants to send in a letter about their concerns must first apply to the NEB for permission to send in a letter. As of today, the public will have just two weeks to fill out a 10-page form which asks for a resume and references.
Line 9 runs directly through the most populated part of the country, through backyards, under farms and next to schools. The pipeline crosses every Canadian river flowing into Lake Ontario, threatening the drinking water of millions.

The new rules for public participation include:

Members of the public must ‘apply for permission’ just to send in a letter.
Participants are limited to those who are ‘directly affected’, or have ‘relevant information’ neither of which are clearly defined.
There is only a two-week window for the public to apply to participate, after which members of the public will be excluded from the hearing process. This means that if a resident along the route finds out about the project after that window, they have no voice.
Applicants are asked to provide qualifications, such as a resume or reference letter.
The application form is 10 pages long.
The application is very difficult to find online.
The basis on which participants will be rejected or accepted is unclear.
In addition to the new barriers for public participation, Enbridge’s proposal won’t undergo an environmental assessment, also thanks to Bill C-38 which gutted environmental laws.



The above extracted from The Canadian Progressive World
By: Greenpeace Canada & Environmental Defence | Press Release:
Support Democracy - Recommend this Post at Progressive Bloggers