Meanwhile, Star letter-writers offer some much-needed reality checks about Trudeau's betrayal:
Your editorial highlights the political risks in the Justin Trudeau government’s decision to buy the Kinder Morgan pipeline, but there is also a major economic risk involved.
If the government had read the fine print of Kinder Morgan’s security filings, it would note that the company warned its investors last year about the threat posed by successful action on climate change, in response to a formal complaint from Greenpeace on inadequate disclosure of climate risk.
According to the filing, serious progress on achieving the Paris climate agreement’s decarbonization goals would reduce oil demand and thus oil companies might not be able to honour their contracts with Kinder Morgan or sign new ones.
So Ottawa has bought itself a pipeline that only succeeds economically if the Paris agreement fails. Quite the Faustian bargain.
Keith Stewart, Greenpeace Canada, Toronto
Not only is this pipeline in direct violation of the constitutional rights of Indigenous peoples, but the bottom line is there is no viable market for bitumen transported by tankers. It’s not a product the world wants to buy.
HSBC and other big players know this and they are divesting from Alberta’s difficult oil because it’s not a valuable product, and even they are saying loudly that they want to steer clear of the oilsands because of the heavy consequences to the environment and Indigenous rights.
It’s shocking to see Paris climate “rock star” Justin Trudeau showing his true colours.
David Quigg, Toronto
When Trudeau stands up in the Commons, it's someone else's words that spill from his mouth. He's just so unconvincing. The insincerity is absolute.
ReplyDeleteCullen did shred him and I hope he keeps it up. I know you've read that Reuters report that shows Trudeau was stampeded by Kinder Morgan to take over the pipeline to rescue Canadian banks and the Tar Sands energy giants. "National interest" my ass.
Now that all the players - Notley, the Bitumen Barons and the Banks - have Ottawa stuck with owning and operating their pipeline - i.e. right where they want the feds, I think the screwing of Ottawa is only beginning. That could start when the feds have to go to the markets to borrow that $4.5 billion purchase price.
It may not be long before Trudeau comes cap in hand offering some deal to Horgan to buy off the BC NDP.
This is going to be ugly.
As your post today shows, Mound, Trudeau was royally played by his corporate masters. That this is our current political leadership is a shame that redounds to all citizens.
Delete.. I cannot even begin to fathom a decision to make the Canadian public (taxpayers) buy an aged foreign owned pipeline enterprise. What next? We buy out Norwegian salmon farms ?
DeleteThere must be votes or political donations there..
I hardly believe Trudeau is trying to help ms Notely out
but never say 'never' in the whirl of political blundering
The whole thing stinks..
I've written endlessy via twitter and comments to the blogs of Indy exemplars re how extirpation of species always follows destruction of habitat. I always remind that 'world class' dilbit cleanup is lost cause won't ever happen stuff.. and the real issue is the onsite destruction .. of waters, habitat, species.. and related pollution.. leaking methane from live and dead wellheads, access roads and feeder lines cut thru the boreal.. goodbye caribou.. recall our 25 cent piece.. replace it with an 11 $ memorial collectors version.. goodbye boreal wolf.. upon who we airdropped arsenic laced meat baits.. (thanks Peter Kent) and nailed to writhing painful death every omniverous species.. including wolverine, fox, crow, bobcat, eagle, lynx, skunk, racoon to boost the Big Energy foreign energy entity we subsidized to the hilt..
I won't delve into the inland waters & forests we destroyed & continue to destroy.. via tar sands and fracking.. I just can't comprehend the destruction.. a forest fire is less damaging than our governments
The litany of damage you provide is sobering, Sal. All I can think is that the minority favouring Trudeau's extravagance with their tax dollars are indulging in both massive willful ignorance and magical thinking of unparalleled proportion.
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