Alberta energy minister gives fuel to protesters
Although jarring, nobody should be surprised by the Alberta Energy Minister’s recent comments.
Sonya Savage told an oil and gas podcast recently that there’s no better time to build pipelines because protesters are otherwise preoccupied by COVID-19 restrictions.
“Now is a great time to be building a pipeline, because you can’t have protests of more than 15 people,” the energy minister said last Friday.
“Let’s get it built.”
We don’t care to debate the merits of more pipelines in this space (right now).
We agree with those of you who say it’s safer than rail or it’s safer than trucks; that makes some sense. But we can also understand those who say pipelines leak and they delay Canada finding a foothold in a new green economy. Whatever side you argue, that’s your prerogative.
What baffles us is that a Canadian politician would so easily give her critics fodder for the fight. This will not keep protesters away from pipeline sites, it will only embolden them.
They’ll find creative and crafty ways to stay socially distant while making life miserable for anyone close enough to hear or see them.
By now, it should be obvious that someone will track down your comments. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking to the Peachland View or the Vancouver Sun. Likewise, you won’t get away with saying something stupid on a podcast that you don’t think anyone listens to.
You can bet opposition political parties, environmental groups and journalists happily made notes as Savage blabbed her way into a controversy.
BBC, Fox News and the Independent all picked up her remarks when The Canadian Press sent them across the globe. Greta Thunberg shared them with her 4.1 million followers.
Arrogance isn’t a good look on anyone.
We say it’s jarring because Savage seemingly comes from that line of thinking that says all protesters are bad people.
Again, that an Alberta politician is defending the industry is not news. But an Alberta politician arrogant enough to believe there are no loyal Albertans (and Canadians) who want the province to diversify its economy is shameful.
Duane Bratt, political scientist at Calgary’s Mount Royal University, summed it up nicely when he said Savage’s comments will only make Alberta’s predicament worse.
Investors are pulling from the oilsands because they want to see the fight to balance energy and environment resolved in Canada.
“This is not going to help, he said.
“They want to fight with environmental groups. They want to fight with investors pulling out,” Bratt told The Canadian Press.
“It’s a very narrow interest. It’s an appeal to people in Alberta that want somebody fighting for them. I didn’t think that this type of approach would work, but they’re going ahead with it.”