Is there any word that describes the Federal Liberals did in their 2015 better than dishonest? Two years in, the governing party continues to break promises after they ‘won a majority’ with 39% of the vote and were handed the reigns of this country.
But this is old news, deceit and colonialism go together, and Canada seems to have a hard time removing both from its culture.
Remember the announcement about Woodfibre LNG going ahead last November? Well turns out, that was not true. A Reuters article from June 5, quotes the CEO of Fortis, Barry Perry as saying, “Fortis expects Woodfibre to make a decision on the project by the end of 2017.”
Clearly, Fortis is pushing this project, and scoring points with shareholders. They’ll just keep fracking to devastate North Eastern BC. No one knows what Sukanto Tanoto, the man behind Woodfibre LNG, feels about all this with LNG prices as low they are. He is probably too busy clear-cutting Borneo’s tropical forests to notice, anyway.
Then we have Federal Minister James Carr going out of his way, from China, to announce that the Federal Government has ‘approved’ the Woodfibre LNGs requested 40 year export license. Not a minor detail, the government’s press release, (or better, alternative fact release) came on the UN’s Environment Day. It doesn’t get more cynical than that, does it? It promises lots of goodies, so let’s see.
It opens with:
“Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is greener than any other fossil fuel and more affordable than many renewables, which means it will play a significant role as we transition to a clean energy future.”
Essentially it says, Canada is going to do zero on renewables in the near future and effectively positions its fossil fuels as worthy alternatives, effectively undermining any efforts to move to renewables fast. This is really troubling, I must add…Let’s carry on.
“Canada is the world’s fifth-largest producer of natural gas, and creating the conditions to open access to global markets will help to create good, middle-class jobs for Canadians.”
Who cares about climate change when you can have ‘good middle class jobs for Canadians.’
“The Government’s approval of this license will help Canada achieve international market access for its natural gas by providing certainty to investors on their long-term access to natural gas while strengthening investment and planning decisions in the industry.”
I added emphasis, but this is pretty clear again, Bye Bye Paris commitments!
….and now some ‘facts’ from Minister Carr himself:
“This project also underscores the significance of working together with First Nations communities, as it will lead to environmental protection and economic benefits for the Province of British Columbia and the Squamish Region.”
Environmental protection? Have I missed something? Economic benefits? Does the Minister not know the list of subsidies the BC LNG industry has been offered?
One thing the release does not lie about is this Liberal Government’s intentions. “Canada has about 300 years’ worth of marketable natural gas reserves, estimated at 1,566 trillion cubic feet, or 44 trillion cubic metres, which puts it in the top tier globally.” And it has as it seems no intention to keep that in the ground.
Well, sorry life on planet Earth. The Liberal Government of Canada is happy to turn a blindeye in exchange for, ‘good middle class’ jobs. Who cares is if anyone understands what is meant by ‘middle-class’ except that there must be an upper class and a lower class too. And it is clear to whom the Canadian Government is catering.
So much for celebrating on Canada’s 150th.
