Tories, Liberals defend oil sands
Feb 25, 2009
THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA – Conservatives and Liberals both came to the defence of Alberta's oilsands today, responding to a stark 20-page spread in this month's National Geographic magazine.
The article, "The Canadian oil boom: Scraping the bottom," details the environmental and social problems around the oilsands, as well as an explanation of the extraction process.
Inside the magazine's distinctive yellow-rimmed cover are grim, glossy photographs of sludge-filled tailing points and the grey, muddy moonscapes around Fort McMurray, Alta.
"In northern Alberta the question of how to strike that balance (between economics and the environment) has been left to the free market, and its answer has been to forget about tomorrow. Tomorrow is not its job," says the article.
The spread is the latest in a series of public-relations challenges for the Canadian and Alberta governments as they struggle to deal with the enormous carbon footprint of the oilsands. Activists have mounted a campaign in the U.S. portraying the oilsands as an environmental catastrophe.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, who recently positioned himself as a supporter of the oilsands, was emphatic in his disdain for the National Geographic story.
"National Geographic is not going to teach me any lessons about the oilsands," he said.
"This is a huge industry. It employs Canadians from coast to coast. We have oil reserves that are going to last for the whole of the 21st century. We are where we are. We've got to clean it up, and we've got make it a sustainable place to work and live."
Environment Minister Jim Prentice dismissed the feature as "just one article," and underlined that the oilsands are a strategic asset for Canada. He emphasized the work Canada and the U.S. agreed to do on carbon capture and storage for the coal and oil industries in North America.
"The answer to all of this is technology, investments in technology, and that's why we'll be working together with the United States to that end," said Prentice, who heads to Washington next week to meet environmental advisers.
The Bloc Quebecois and NDP, meanwhile, slammed the government for not doing enough to clean up the oilsands.
"We hope (the article) will help move all governments, especially the federal government that has not used tools at its disposal to protect the environment, to protect the health of aboriginals and others in the region and to ... end subsidies to the big oil companies for those projects," said NDP Leader Jack Layton.
Said Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe: "I don't think they're going to change. I don't think so because Mr. Harper is totally linked to the oil companies, if not completely owned by them."
