The following opinion column was written John McKay, Liberal member of Parliament for Scarborough-Guildwood:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper seems to be having a rough time selling the Keystone XL – which Canada needs in order to get Alberta crude to market – to U.S. President Barack Obama, and he need not look very far to figure out why. For someone who touts himself as a Canadian history buff, he pays very little attention to the part of Canadian history that he has been writing for the better part of a decade.
Mr. Obama has made it abundantly clear that he will only approve the project if it serves the national interest – specifically, that approval will not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution. He also made it clear that “… there is no doubt that Canada … could be potentially doing more to mitigate carbon release,” and his administration had yet to see any specific plans or ideas from Mr. Harper’s government about how to accomplish this.
Said differently, the Obama administration has linked approval of Keystone to a serious plan from Canada to reduce domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Regrettably, there are some “inconvenient facts” which give rise to legitimate suspicions that the Conservative government has done virtually nothing in nearly a decade to reduce GHG emissions. While the previous Minister of the Environment would tell you different, most (if not all) of the progress made by Canada has occurred as a result of the actions taken by provincial governments, particularly in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. This is a simple case of the federal government taking credit for other people’s work.
Another inconvenient fact is that the government of Canada does not have a deal with the oil and gas industry when it comes to regulation, and is nowhere close to having an agreement on GHGs; hence the alarm amongst knowledgeable observers, hence the hesitation by President Obama, and hence the new and seemingly desperate pleas from Mr. Harper’s team that Canada is now ready to “up our game” with regard to reducing GHGs.
Mr. Harper’s sustained assault on science and crackdown on the ability of our scientists to speak publicly about their research has been noticed in the United States. No less a media powerhouse than the New York Times recently noted that, “Over the last few years, the government of Canada – led by Stephen Harper – has made it harder and harder for publicly financed scientists to communicate with the public and with other scientists.”
Beyond the impact this imposed gag order is having on the state of Canadian democracy, it will only serve to further undermine Canada’s reputation and commitment to the environment in the eyes of the United States and beyond.
It is a mark of desperation when we send Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver to New York, cap in hand, to tell our American friends fairy tales. These are the very same people who get paid to sort fact from fiction, hard evidence from hyperbole, and they know that the government of Canada has no GHG emissions deal with industry.
They know that there are serious problems with tailings ponds management, water consumption and seepage. They know that the third-largest watershed in the world is at risk, and they know a George W. Bush when they see one. To treat them to fairy tales prompts a stern rebuke from the New York Times editorial staff. The only people who could reasonably be expected to bring reason and sanity to the debate have been silenced by a government more interested in photo opportunities and announcements than in facts and figures.
The only effective antidote to propaganda is fact and the only people with the facts are scientists.
In this fight, Mr. Harper loses, Alberta loses, and Canada loses. What a mess! And to think that he has had nearly a decade to bring the industry to the table, negotiate a strong regulatory regime and put the word “sustainable” back into the lexicon of sustainable environment.
Whatever you think about the New York Times, they got one thing right: “This is more than an attack on academic freedom. It is an attempt to guarantee public ignorance.” Ignorance is always a bad policy option.
– Hon. John McKay is the member of Parliament for Scarborough-Guildwood and the Liberal Party of Canada’s environment critic
Related articles
- Stephen Harper says he won’t accept Keystone XL rejection (o.canada.com)
- New York Times criticizes Harper government’s alleged muzzling of scientists (o.canada.com)
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