It is always difficult to know what to publish on Earth Day. It’s been around for 34 years, which means that much of what’s worth writing about has already been covered. Then there’s the question of whether to inform your readers with facts, inspire them with positive stories about solutions
Continue readingAuthor: Jeff Gailus
DeSmogBlog: A Short History of Joe Oliver, Canada’s New Finance Minister
Joe Oliver, Canada’s new federal Minister of Finance, made quite a name for himself during his tenure as Minister of Natural Resources. In his former position Oliver proved himself a fierce and outspoken defender of the oilsands as the economic engine of Canada (even if he did tend to fudge
Continue readingA Short History of Joe Oliver, Canada’s New Finance Minister
Joe Oliver, Canada’s new federal Minister of Finance, made quite a name for himself during his tenure as former Minister of Natural Resources. In his former position Oliver proved himself a fierce and outspoken defender of the oilsands as the economic engine of Canada (even if he did tend to
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Greenwashing the Tar Sands, Part 3: Wherein money trumps fact every time
This is last installment of a three-part series on greenwashing and the tar sands. Be sure to read Part 1, A Short History of Greenwashing the Tar Sands, and Part 2, Do As I Say, Not As I Do. Recently, Canadian Oil Sands Chief Executive Officer Marcel Coutu explained to
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Greenwashing the Tar Sands, Part 2: Do As I Say, Not As I Do
Last week, I wrote a short history of the greenwashing campaign being waged by tar sands promoters, including (and especially) the Canadian and Alberta governments. It’s clear that as the battle over the future of tar sands development has intensified, so has the greenwashing necessary to promote it in the
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: A Short History of Greenwashing the Tar Sands, Part 1
This is Part One of a three-part series on the political greenwashing of the tar sands in Canada. When I hatched the idea to write a book about the use of spin and propaganda in the battle over the tar sands, a close friend of mine suggested I avoid the
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Parsing Redford’s Little Black Lies, Part 3
This is the third post in a three-part series. For Part 1 of Parsing Redford’s Little Black Lies, click here. For Part 2, How Redford Can Walk the Walk, click here. ON March 1, the U.S. State Department released its draft Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for TransCanada’s proposed Keystone
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: How Redford Can Walk the Walk, Part 2
This is the second post in a three-part series. For Part 1, Parsing Redford’s Little Black Lies, click here. As Alberta Premier Alison Redford tries her best to hoodwink American politicians into believing Alberta is leading the way on climate change, it’s worth considering where the problems lie and how
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Parsing Redford’s Little Black Lies, Part 1
Within weeks of becoming Alberta’s first female premier in October 2011, Alison Redford realized that the tired old propaganda about jobs and Canada’s reputation as a safe and friendly supplier of oil weren’t helping in the battle over the future of tar sands oil in America. “We heard very quickly
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: When War is Peace and Dirty, Clean
Every communications expert knows that truth is rarely self-evident. Indeed, no matter how hare-brained or incredulous an idea is, if it serves the interests of a particular group of people who want it to be true, they’ll ignore any and all evidence to make it so. Paul Krugman, an influential
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: The Biggest Little Black Lie of 2012
In a culture awash in bullshit, it’s no easy task to identify the Little Black Lie of the Year. It’s like choosing the most beautiful butterfly or the most violent criminal. There are just so many to choose from, and who’s to say? Still, it behooves us to try, so
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Little Black Lies: Manufacturing Irony
If you’ve been paying attention to the news, you’ll know that the Alberta government is suing the tobacco industry for $10 billion. What may be less clear is how ironic is this gesture of fiscal responsibility, coming, as it does, from a government that happily perpetuates the same transgressions that
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Little Black Lie: Canada is “Doing Its Part”
It’s difficult to know where to start when asked to write a regular column on the little black lies that plague the debate over energy and climate policy in Canada, but for the sake of convenience and timeliness, let’s begin with one that’s close at hand: Environment Minister Peter Kent’s
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Time to Audit the Fraser Institute
Fraser-Institute.jpg On March 25, 2012, the Compliance Division of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) received a letter from Jensen Shawa Solomon Duguid Hawkes LLP (aka JSS Barristers). In 11 detailed pages, JSS Barristers lodged a complaint against Environmental Defence, a charity registered with the CRA, on behalf of Ezra Levant’s
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