Margaret Atwood has dubbed it ‘Enemygate’. ForestEthics whistleblower Andrew Frank accuses Harper of bullying tactics. John Bennett of the Sierra Club frets that this is “a scary time for Canadian democracy”. With the Prime Minister calling any opposition to his pet Keystone project, “enemy of the Government of Canada”, the
Continue readingTag: Joe Oliver
Pushed to the Left and Loving It: Americans Fear Their Election Could End up Like Canada’s. I Can Help
In the upcoming election, Barack Obama will not be challenged by the Republicans, who frankly have given up on even pretending to be politicians serving the public, but by the Super PACs. Political Action Committees financed by wealthy corporations, who are tired of democracy getting in their way. Remember that
Continue reading350 or bust: Dear Mr. Oliver: I Am Not a Member of a “Radical” Group
Today’s guest blogger is Jason Hildebrand. A so-called “radical” Canadian opposed to the Northern Gateway Pipeline, Jason is employed in the IT field, is married with two young children, and is an active member of his church. Jason has allowed me to share his recent letter to Natural Resources Minister
Continue readingStraight Outta Edmonton: Harper’s Attack, Redford’s Consensus: Building National Support for the Oilsands
The Alberta Oilsands are a source of intense debate and discord both domestically and internationally. However, the future prosperity of the nation is inherently linked to Canada’s ability to take advantage of the resource and harness its potential. The challenge for proponents therefore becomes to cultivate broad based support, particularly
Continue readingStraight Outta Edmonton: Harper’s Attack, Redford’s Consensus: Building National Support for the Oilsands
With Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Alberta Premier Alison Redford, we see two starkly different strategies employed to build support for the oilsands nationally.
In recent weeks, Prime Minister Harper, as well as Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver, have adopted the meme first introduced by Ethical Oil and its acolytes, painting all opponents to the Northern Gateway Pipeline — which seeks to ship oilsands bitumen from Alberta to Asia via Kitimat, B.C — as foreign proxies sabotaging Canada’s economic interests. Unabashedly disingenuous as it attempts to other First Nations and non-First Nations communities along the proposed route that oppose the pipeline, as well as the numerous Canadian ENGOs whose history of advancing environmental causes in this country dates back well before the oilsands became an economic imperative.
The goal here is to impose the oilsands on the country by masking it in the language of “Canadian” versus “Foreign” interests, McCarthyizing acceptance. Far from winning over critics, the approach is likely to further polarize Canadians on the issue.
In contrast to bullying opponents, Premier Redford has quietly been working to build consensus on the oilsands, winning over provinces that her predecessors may at one time have labeled as detractors through her push for a national energy strategy. First championed at the Intergovernmental Energy and Mines Ministers Conference in Kananaskis last July, Redford has won support from western allies such Saskatchewan and British Columbia, as well as traditional critics such as Quebec, where support for the oilsands are at the lowest levels in the country.
Redford’s message to her counterparts is for them to collectively harness their province’s unique energy strengths, transforming Canada into both an energy and environmental super power. This level of collaboration will invariably require trade offs, which although currently undefined, may require Alberta to address the oilsand’s poor environmental performance sooner than anticipated.
Yet to Redford, this is likely a welcomed risk. Committing the provinces to a national energy strategy where the oilsands play a pivotal role, strengthens the resource’s economic viability at home and abroad.
Canadian history is rife with examples of the federal government unilaterally proceeding on divisive matters of national concern in a belligerent manner with little regard to opponents. Trust erodes, federalism is undermined, and matters that require consensus to proceed and sustain in the long term become polarized to the extreme.
National projects in the national interest — as the oilsands should be viewed — require consensus building, bringing critics on board through compromise, whether they are provincial counterparts, First Nations, or ENGOs. In this case, its requires the oilsands to transform from being the Alberta Oilsands to the Canadian Oilsands, with opponents buying in at various stages of development. The subsequent policy erosion will be offset with a strong, broad base of support, which will reap far greater rewards for the resource than proceeding along its current trajectory.
Continue readingStraight Outta Edmonton: Harper’s Attack, Redford’s Consensus: Building National Support for the Oilsands
The Alberta Oilsands are a source of intense debate and discord both domestically and internationally. However, the future prosperity of the nation is inherently linked to Canada’s ability to take advantage of the resource and harness its potential. The challenge for proponents therefore becomes to cultivate broad based support, particularly
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Friends with Benefits: The Harper Government, EthicalOil.org and Sun Media Connection
suntv_news.gif Just over a week before the Northern Gateway Pipeline hearings began, EthicalOil.org and its allies launched a pre-emptive PR offensive on environmental and First Nations groups who oppose the pipeline. Their new website, OurDecision.ca, and ad campaign are an attempt to invalidate opposition to the pipeline by pointing to
Continue reading350 or bust: Canada: Under Attack By Foreign Interests Groups & Radicals
Bless you, Rick Mercer, when the goings-on in Ottawa get completely intolerable, you give Canadians something to laugh at. Here’s Rick’s response to the Canadian Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver’s letter attacking environmentalists (read: anyone opposed to the Northern Gateway Pipeline and/or unrestricted development of the Alberta tar sands) as
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: When is "Foreign" Money and Influence, Not "Foreign" Money and Influence?
The Harper government has tried a new strategy in pushing through the Gateway Pipeline. Apparently, we are now under attack by “foreigners”. “Foreign” money is driving the debate. “Foreign” radicals are trying to stop progress. And yet “foreign” ownership of the Tar Sands has accelerated since they took power. Our
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: The Enbridge Board: A foreign Special Interest Group
Joe Oliver.jpg If Canadian Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver is looking for ideologues and "foreign special interest groups" who are trying to interfere with the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline hearings, he need look no farther than the Board of Directors of pipeline proponent Enbridge Inc. Oliver got his lapels all flecked
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Never Mind Northern Gateway, Keystone XL remains the main objective of Canada’s pipeline propagandists
A Canadian lobbyist ratchets up the pressure on the Obama Administration to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. Meanwhile, foreign celebrities boost the morale of radical Hollywood environmentalists as they prepare to interfere in Canadian affairs. Government and corporate officials and environmental radicals may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Joe
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Never Mind Northern Gateway, Keystone XL remains the main objective of Canada’s pipeline propagandists
A Canadian lobbyist ratchets up the pressure on the Obama Administration to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. Meanwhile, foreign celebrities boost the morale of radical Hollywood environmentalists as they prepare to interfere in Canadian affairs. Government and corporate officials and environmental radicals may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Joe
Continue readingThe Sixth Estate: Fifth Sexth Estate Weekly Flack Awards
The Sixth Estate Weekly Flack Awards are a regular series dedicated to recognizing the silliest and the worst in the generally pathetic field of government communications. These awards recognize absurd errors, bizarre subjects, unnecessary excitement over trivial programs, and preposterous quote-mining. This week there were strong entrants in all categories. For
Continue readingLeftist Jab: Enbridge Tells Joe Oliver To Shut Up
Pictured: Joe Oliver consulting the youth. The oil pipeline corporation Enbridge which has: averaged over 1 oil spill per week between 1999 and 2008; spilled 800,000 gallons of oil into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River; the potential of facing criminal charges for failing to properly maintain its Michigan pipeline; been accused by
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Joe Oliver and the Leaking Pipeline
Oh. My. Oily. Oliver. What bad timing. Canadian pipeline builder Enbridge reported a leak from one of its pipelines on the day public hearings began into the company’s planned Northern Gateway pipeline. And don’t you love this? Enbridge declined to describe how it could be safe to continue operating a
Continue reading350 or bust: The Real Radicals Are Those Who Pollute Our Air and Water and Destabilize Our Climate, Mr. Oliver
Here are some excerpts from an open letter released yesterday by Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, just prior to the start of the Northern Gateway pipeline hearings in B.C. today: “Unfortunately, there are environmental and other radical groups that would seek to block this opportunity to diversify our trade. Their
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Spin of convenience
Following up on one rebuttal to the Cons’ shilling for the tar sands on the Gateway pipeline, let’s point out one other area where the Cons’ attacks apply far more strongly to their own side than to the voices they’re looking to silence. Here’s Joe Oliver’s criticism of the First
Continue readingTrashy's World: Again, I know I said I’d keep politics…
… off this site until I return, but it is our last day down here, so I’m taking some liberties. This is the Con Natural Resources Minister: Oliver says the groups “threaten to hijack our regulatory system to achieve their radical ideological agenda,” stack the hearings with people to delay
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Stephen Maher and Barbara Yaffe have learned to be duly skeptical of the Cons’ motives when it comes to Senate patronage. But John Ibbitson still has a ways to go – as he’s apparently still buying Con spin about new provinces holding
Continue reading2012 Quote of the Year. "(Radicals) are a group of people who don’t take into account the facts but are driven by an ideological imperative"
It’s only 10 days into January of 2012 and already we have a sure winner for lack-of-self-awareness wingnut quote of the year. Thank you, Joe Oliver and congratulations. Your clueless statement may very well be the quote of the decade.
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