The election of a Jason Kenney-led government means Alberta will be pushing to get tar sands oil flowing again at all costs, the environment included. Throw in an upcoming federal election and the government’s purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline, and it’s a good bet there will be additional pressure to do something for the West.
Kenney’s stance is clear. His right-wing government makes no pretence of weighing all sides of the debate. The Trudeau Liberals, however, are attempting to appear to be something to everyone on this issue.
We can expect plenty of vitriol, particularly from the energy companies eager to extract more resources, both in Alberta and everywhere else they have holdings. Climate-change researchers have estimated some 80 per cent of all carbon-based energy in the ground – coal, oil, natural gas – will have to remain there if we’re to have any chance of avoiding catastrophic warming due to greenhouse gas emissions. Those with profits in mind are having no part of it.
A handful of wealthy oil barons have waged a decades-long war on taxation, government regulation and, most vehemently, climate science – they’ve spent hundreds of millions fomenting skepticism and doubt, while paying politicians to sing from their doctored hymn books. It’s an oligarchic formula that has brought American democracy to its knees, and one that has spread its tentacles across the border.
Ironically, while conservative politicians decried the efforts of “foreign groups” such as environmental organization to influence public perception of the tar sands, they said nothing about the infiltration of the Koch network and other foreigners in pushing for the extraction projects. Not to mention that most of the investment is in fact foreign.
Last month’s revelation that federal Conservative leader Andrew Scheer pledged to crack down on foreign-funded groups while speaking at an extractive-industry event attended by those bent on influencing Canadian politics, including Trump operatives, comes at an awkward time for Scheer and Kenney, suggests the progressive non-profit group North99.
No comments:
Post a Comment