Prince George, B.C. – Another politician has  decided to  change careers.  Federal  Environment Minister Jim Prentice is  leaving politics.

 

Cariboo- Prince George M.P. Dick Harris says he was caught off guard by the news today.  While   Prentice's news comes  just days after his ministry rejected the Taseko “Prosperity Mine” project, Harris doesn't think there is any connection.

 

Prentice has announced he is leaving politics to take up the post as Vice Chairman of the CIBC in mid January. 

 

Prentice becomes the second member of the Harper Government in the past couple of months to  break away from politics. Prince George-Peace River M.P. Jay Hill resigned October 25^th.

 

Harris says he will continue to work with Prentice’s successor on the Prosperity mine project, he has already started work on a private members bill that would require the government to apply equal weight and balanced consideration to social/economic factors when considering projects such as the Prosperity mine. “Currently it seems that all the checks and balances weigh in favour of environmental only considerations with little weight given to the very real social and economic necessities of communities and entire regions.”

 

First Nations have praised the decision to deny the permit for the mine, a project they said they would battle, physically if need be, to ensure it did not go ahead.