Economics

The strategy of the major oil and energy producers in being able to maintain what they call "non interference" (via regulation, shut downs, etc) is simple. Keep all of the projects that are combining to cause: Climate change, theft of resources from people and nations, deforestation and mining of the landscape alongside increases in violence against women, children and elders in their wake-- disconnected from one another.

If you aren't cynical enough and want further proof that none of the Canadian political parties are serious about tackling climate change, the fact they never mention the tarsands demonstrates that it is mostly for show.

When the recent document urging the five fold expansion of the tarsands was leaked through the CBC, this should have made it quite clear why this new water regime is necessary.

The world is running out of fresh water and Canada has lots of it.

Committee report urges end to oilsands tax break
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/187693
Mar 02, 2007 05:35 PM
Dennis Bueckert
Canadian press

OTTAWA – The federal government should cancel its generous tax treatment of the Alberta oilsands industry, putting it on the same footing as the rest of the energy sector, says a draft report by a House of Commons committee.

The tax break, estimated to be worth $1.4 billion annually, has been a point of growing controversy as oilsands operators reap record revenues.

BC's Big Pipeline Plans Draw Fire from Indigenous Nations

Massive Gateway project faces serious legal obstacles. A special report.
By Christopher Pollon

August 23, 2006
http://thetyee.ca/News/2006/08/23/Enbridge/

Whenever Jim Culp thinks about the proposed Enbridge pipeline, his thoughts return to the night the mountain fell from out of the sky.

The Violence of the Letter: Land Claims and Continuing Colonial Conquest in Canada (Peter Kulchyski)

Canadian Dimension Magazine, January/February 2007 Issue

What is of concern here is not what is mentioned, but rather what isn't. There are two equally disturbing environmentally dangerous aspects to the proposed pipeline. One cannot be hidden but only minimized and "greenwashed", the other can be lied about, declared irrelevant, or simply left unspoken. The first is what we have discussed by the NEB: land and water protection from both the construction and the operation phases of the MGP. The other is the impact on the overall atmosphere via the transport of the gas to be used in the operation of the Alberta tarsands.

Introductory minirant:

While absolutely correct to be calling the federal government on the final destination of the gas for the MGP, it is problematic to call for the greening of the Mackenzie
Gas Project. The fact is that the MGP is not one pipeline, and the tar sands in Alberta are a possible destination. The tarsands cannot move forward without the MGP-- and seeing the pipeline as a critical component means realising we need to stop the construction of the pipeline period-- regardless of any location being pre-determined for this amount of energy.