Liberal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna’s Twitter mentions are a total disaster right now

Not a good day to check the tweets being sent to @cathmckenna.

On Tuesday, the Liberal government approved the Pacific Northwest LNG project in British Columbia, a move that might be of some assistance to BC Premier Christy Clark as an election looms on the horizon.

The controversial project involves fracking for natural gas in northern BC and building a pipeline to an export terminal to the Pacific coast.

First Nations leaders say the government hasn’t consulted impacted communities, while environmental groups say the project will be “one of the largest carbon polluters in the country.”

Despite these criticisms, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna claimed the Liberal government’s decision to approve the LNG project was guided by “science” and the “traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples.”

This decision was based on science, traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples and other relevant scientific evidence. pic.twitter.com/RlAcrkyplj

— Catherine McKenna (@cathmckenna) September 28, 2016

Let’s check-in and see how people are reacting to that:

when i met @cathmckenna i thought she understood #haidagwaii ‘s stance against #LNG , now i know the liberals don’t even care about us.

— heidi michaela (@heidigwaii_) September 28, 2016

@cathmckenna you disappointed many Canadians today, betrayed First Nations and took another step backwards on climate change #shame https://t.co/WdRm17oY6m

— Steve Ward (@TrekkerSteve) September 28, 2016

Shame on @cathmckenna for approving the Pacific NorthWest #LNG project! No credibility as environment and climate change minister!!

— Brent Patterson (@CBrentPatterson) September 28, 2016

#PNWLNG was approved based on flawed science by the proponent. 130 scientists came out against it. Disgusted @JustinTrudeau @cathmckenna

— Dr. Travis G Gerwing (@Dr_TGG) September 28, 2016

@cathmckenna you are a liar and a fraud. You have betrayed your people and sealed your children’s hopeless fate. Are you proud of yourself? https://t.co/chzeEQN7df

— Jennifer Green (@jennlikespens) September 28, 2016

Actions speak louder than words @cathmckenna You are looking like a fraud #pacificnorthwestLNG #Woodfibre #SiteC

— Bette Chadwick (@afrogirl7) September 28, 2016

Awful, stupid, and a real betrayal on the environmental front. @cathmckenna https://t.co/rRippWTbsn

— Lorraine Chisholm (@lchisholm) September 28, 2016

@haikuvikinggal @cathmckenna @cbcnews And so it starts. The ugly second year (almost) when promises get broken & true colours show.

— Islaylamb (@islayscotch) September 28, 2016

@BillyOHanlon @cathmckenna Me too; if I see one more liberal selfie…. #climatechange is nothing more than a farce to them.

— VeganDKB Ⓥ (@donkearbour) September 28, 2016

This is not sunny ways, it’s Harper ways. https://t.co/ukS3RsWCYA

— Amanda (@Anudda) September 28, 2016

Meanwhile, others noted McKenna’s invocation of the “traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples” in an attempt to sell a fracking project.

@cathmckenna what traditional Indigenous knowledge specifically are you referring to that would condone a natural gas pipeline? Ludicrous.

— Christi Belcourt (@christibelcourt) September 28, 2016

oooh so we’re going to use “indigenous traditional knowledge” to extract gas in a $36 billion project. trudeau’s woke neoliberal canada pic.twitter.com/QiTvFi4vZ4

— Ennui GO (@funnyhandle) September 28, 2016

Seriously, you’re going to invoke traditional Indigenous knowledge? #PNWLNG

— irina cerić (@irinaceric) September 28, 2016

Hey look, a vague appeal to Indigenous “traditional knowledge” in support of colonial decision-making. https://t.co/Lct3HC6CpN

— the gwitchin kris (@GwitchinKris) September 28, 2016

Soon traditional knowledge will be “when they want to pretend they consulted us, they’ll say they listened to ‘traditional knowledge'” https://t.co/hAfdO0ispF

— Douglas Hunter (@DWHauthor) September 28, 2016

How dare these gasholes claim that they used ‘traditional #Indigenous knowledge’? See how the Liberals USE us? Shady AF. #Cdnpoli

— Barbara Low (@BarbaraXLow) September 28, 2016

Canada’s approval is rooted in colonialism, not “traditional knowledge”. FYI- Ancestral teachings on LNG pipelines are nonexistent. https://t.co/VcErbbEY3S

— Melissa Daniels (@DeneLegalEagle) September 28, 2016

And all this comes on the heels of McKenna confirming her Liberal government would be sticking to Stephen Harper’s targets for reducing carbon emissions. 

Some wondered:

@cathmckenna @CBCNews and what about climate change? I believe that is part of your mandate (Psst… This is not going to help with that)

— Amanda Mitchell (@iheartcities) September 28, 2016

.@ec_minister @cathmckenna in #Paris at #COP21 you looked me in the eye and said you’d do things differently on #climate. #PNWLNG #cdnpol

— Torrance Coste (@TorranceCoste) September 28, 2016

@JustinTrudeau @CMcKennaOttawa @cathmckenna @environmentca

No better than the HarperCons we tossed… Enjoy the next 3 years…. pic.twitter.com/bEGIXXdv1J

— David (@davidfprocter) September 28, 2016 

Wrong signal from @cathmckenna on #PNWLNG. BC has no plan to hit climate target. Closing the gap to 2030 requires all provs to get on track.

— Erin Flanagan (@e_flanagan) September 28, 2016

Remember joking @cathmckenna’s title sounds like she’s supervising climate change. Not much of a joke anymore. https://t.co/gkpM9aJGcp

— Benjamin Woo (@geek_worlds) September 28, 2016

A review of all the greenhouse emissions from #PNWLNG would sure wow them. #BCpoli #Canpoli https://t.co/wJZAu8e646

— StumpyJoChilds (@StumpyJoChilds) September 28, 2016

What about the science that says increasing greenhouse gas emissions is going to destroy the whole planet? #keepitintheground https://t.co/QyUD3NLY43

— Andrew Rose (@andrewjrose) September 28, 2016

When they make decisions like approving #PNWLNG, I find myself wondering how @cathmckenna & @JustinTrudeau can go home & face their children

— David Paterson (@DavidPatersonca) September 28, 2016

Thank you @christyclarkbc, @cathmckenna for advancing #climate ruin. Tough enough to meet #Paris agreement w/o this. https://t.co/ktAm9SroEx

— greg blanchette (@greg_blee) September 28, 2016

@cathmckenna How does this meet our Paris commitments? Or any real commitment to climate change? #notok #disappointed #heartbroken https://t.co/fTJy5dvnjm

— Jess Chant (@chantface) September 28, 2016

I’m in shock. Why bother talking about climate commitments while at the same time approving this. @cathmckenna https://t.co/jthUhp69JW

— Graeme Reed (@graereed8) September 28, 2016

I used to think that @cathmckenna actually cared about climate change. Obviously I was wrong. #PNWLNG #cdnpoli

— Bob Heaslip (@BobHeaslip) September 28, 2016

That didn’t go well at all.

^{Photo: Environmentcan. Used under Creative Commons license.}