Ten people smearing mud on a window? Is this all the support Alexandra Morton can find now?
We think Canadians are smart enough to see through such a silly stunt, and the small number of characters following Ms. Morton on her mudslinging adventure in Campbell River Teusday proves it.
Ms. Morton smeared mud on the window of our offices this morning, and splattered mud on the public sidewalk in an attempt to make some kind of statement against salmon farming. All she did, however, was make a mess. But it wasn’t all bad – we transferred the mud to the nearby flowerbed which will help the flowers grow bright and beautiful in May.
She and her entourage pulled the same stunt at the Marine Harvest offices, and moved on to the campaign offices of Vancouver Island North federal candidates.
It’s obvious that Ms. Morton has little or no support for her actions; she was accompanied by only 10 people, including two of her regular photographers and campaigners, and no local people.
Meanwhile, a national survey done in early April by an independent polling firm found that more than 80 per cent of Canadians support the development of a national Aquaculture Act; 69 per cent supported the idea of developing national standards for the aquaculture industry; and 60 per cent supported the idea of developing a framework to promote industry growth.
Perhaps most telling, 70 per cent of respondents said it was important to find fresh protein and produce year-round; that locally grown food was important; and that food grown in an environmentally sustainable way was important.
Salmon farming meets all of those needs. Perhaps the nonexistent support for Ms. Morton’s latest campaign shows that people are investigating the industry for themselves, and as the poll results show, believe that it has a bright future in Canada growing healthy seafood in a way that is environmentally sustainable.
Grant Warkentin
Communications Officer, Mainstream Canada