Lacking National Judgement

Everyone in political authority appears to be making the trek from Canada to the United States to convince American lawmakers that a solution to their energy needs and to the newer and critical issue of unemployment in the construction trades, is at hand; the  Keystone XL pipeline represents a viable option, one that should be apparent, but in the face of environmental group lobbying is seen as a social-political contaminant.

Canadian environmentalists have joined the fray, some travelling to the United States to join with their American counterparts in contesting the usefulness and environmental neutrality claimed by the pipeline supporters. Canadian environmental academics are adding their voice to those of their U.S. peers in rejecting the feasibility of the oil-trade transaction via the pipeline.

The fact that Canadian oil exports already represent a major source of energy for the energy-ravenous United States appears to be overlooked. Oil, natural gas and electricity, all of which come in spades courtesy of Canada's natural resources to the United States which has its own, but not enough to satisfy its appetite. This is a country which agrees to itself that it would prefer not to import oil from Venezuela, from Saudi Arabia.

Enter Thomas Mulcair, leader of the federal New Democratic Party and currently Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, and the issue sizzles. He smoothly informs Alberta that he is in full support of oilsands extraction, and he sees no contradiction in speaking before American businessmen and government authorities decrying the usefulness of shipping Canadian oil from Alberta to the U.S. via XL.

He speaks in the United States, as a loyal Canadian, an elected parliamentarian, leader of a political party that aspires to govern in the future, and slags the current government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, charging it with environmental degradation and conspiracy to delude Canadians and Americans alike with his government's intentions on meeting environmental challenges.

There are some inconvenient truths here, where protectionist environmental lobbyists have no wish to linger in the reality of the fact that 42% of American electricity comes from burning coal, which in turn is responsible for 27% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions. A figure that is expected to grow by a third by 2025. Where are the environmental protests about dirty coal-firing energy sources?

Thomas Mulcair and his NDP caucus oppose the 1,800 kilometre pipeline that would ship 830,000 barrels of Canadian bitumen daily to Texas refineries. The oil should remain in Canada, it should be refined in Canada, it should be used by Canadians. The government of Stephen Harper is pulling the environmental wool over the eyes of the American government and public.

"We have never taken care of our energy security. We tend to forget that a 10-year supply to the U.S. is a 100-year supply to Canada. We are still going to need the energy supply to heat our homes and run our factories, whether it comes from the oilsands or it comes in the form of natural gas. Fossil fuels are always going to be part of the mix." 

Right. Is this the message that Canadians and Americans need to hear? This is a Canadian message for Canadians. We don't know it already? And aren't we aware that Canada is an exporting nation? And that the U.S. is not; it conventionally and traditionally is an importing nation. It consumes all that it produces; it has no need to export to remain competitive.

And since Canada has some of the world's leading fossil fuel resources, we are assured of having more than enough for ourselves for complete energy security, and plenty left over for export purposes, with the world of energy-consumers knocking at our export doors. 

Thomas Mulcair really and truly is leader of the opposition.