In the past few years, Canada has managed to thoroughly shame itself on Climate Change issues. It has even won a fossil of the year award for obstructionism on international treaties to reduce climate change as well as numerous fossil of the day awards. The trouble is, when I or others try to get the Canadian government to change its policy on this issue it is much like speaking to a wall. You can talk till you are blue in the face, but the wall isn’t listening.
Oil Sands Money and Distortion of Democracy
The most obvious reason is the money being made in the Alberta Oil Sands. The oil sands have really taken off over the past decade or so and the Canadian federal and Alberta governments have been putting a lot of energy into promoting them. This can be seen in the way both oil companies and governments have been pushing the Northern Gateway and Keystone XL Pipelines despite the protests seen in the USA and the disagreement of native and environmental groups in BC.
In another sign of how Stephen Harper’s government views the oil sands, the rules implemented in 2007 for media interviews of Environment Canada scientists were made a lot stricter, resulting in a drop in media coverage of climate change science of over 80%. There are complaints from the scientists that they are being muzzled.
As you can see from the above, oil money seems to be distorting Canada’s democracy. This is most prominent in Alberta, where it is a long-standing problem. It’s extreme influence on the federal scene is new, and I think there is little doubt the oil sands has a great deal to do with with Canada’s reneging on its Kyoto commitments.
Problems in Ontario
Oil sands money is especially influential on Canadian government because Canada’s most populous province, is not doing well economically. Ontario is home to a lot of manufacturing, notably for the auto industry, which was hit hard in the great recession. This means the money friom the Oil Sands is very important to the federal government as well as to Alberta. The current government in power, the Conservatives under Stephen Harper, is tilted towards Alberta rather than eastern Canada, which does not have much in the way of oil. Stephen Harper himself is from Alberta.
One odd point is that the rise in the Canadian dollar which is due to the oil sands and other resource wealth has been part of why Ontario is having so much trouble with its manufacturing industry. Only one source, others being competition with China and reduced demand in the USA.
An even odder point is that eastern Canada has to import most of its oil since the oil sands oil is more profitable for the oil companies to ship south to the USA.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t fix the problem that producing a barrel of oil sands oil produces more CO2 than producing regular oil. It doesn’t fix the overuse of water or the damage to Alberta’s countryside. It does absolutely nothing to prepare Canada for Peak Oil.