The national anthem appears to have been added to the list of material that the Joint Panel Review on the Northern Gateway pipeline is not allowed to hear.

Or at least that is how it seemed to Gabriolan Miranda Holmes, who was in Comox at the Aug. 10 hearings as a presenter.

Holmes said her presentation was well-received by spectators, but “the best thing was during the set of presentations after mine. Apparently some of the locals had hatched a bit of  a plot. As they all began to stand up, one of the organisers waved a red card (I kid you not) and bustled the three panel members into a back room, to ensure they were not exposed to whatever protest was afoot. And what was the protest? Everyone sang ‘Oh, Canada’. A truly Keystone Kops moment, this rush to protect the panel members from the national anthem”.

Of her own presentation, which was a variation of an article published in the Common Sense Canadian (http://thecanadian.org/item/1654-dilbit-enbridge-testimony-stephen-harper-doesn’t-want-heard-jrp-miranda-holmes) Holmes said: “Given the content, I was half expecting the panel to cut me off”.

She said that did not happen, and “(t)here was much laughter and a big round of applause from the spectators, who were then duly chastised for ‘reacting’ during presentations, as it could make it difficult for the panel to hear”.

As for finishing up the hearings with the national anthem, Holmes said: “I am surprised to tell you that when we got to the final line, “We stand on guard for thee”, my eyes actually got a bit moist. Not something that’s ever happened to me before, but this time it did hit me: when our government will not protect our environment, we really will have to guard it ourselves”.