Giant leaps not likely in the offing
M aybe he was just trying to impress Jane Fonda. At any rate, Justin Trudeau finds himself continually having to tread a fine line between development of Canada’s oil industry and calling it yesterday’s meal ticket.
The prime minister was on the receiving end of some heat from Alberta Premier Rachel Notley last week after he’d made comments that played off the economy – compliments of product from the oilsands – versus the environment.
At a town hall meeting in Peterborough, Ont., Trudeau had said, “You can’t make a choice between what’s good for the environment and what’s good for the economy.” He then went on to acknowledge that Canada won’t anytime soon be shutting down that source of oil, that it will take time to wean ourselves from dependence, to manage a transition to cleaner fuels and a greener economy.
It is well he added that proviso, but it still raised hackles in Alberta, understandably, where development and employment suffered greatly in recent years with the collapse of oil prices.
And maybe Trudeau wasn’t trying to impress anybody at all, but he couldn’t help but notice the comments Hollywood veteran Fonda made, also last week, about Canada’s prime minister failing to consult with First Nations when it comes to pipelines and oil development.
Trudeau did make his comments at an odd time, following close after approval by the federal government of pipelines to carry product to the Pacific coast for export.
Granted, it’s a difficult subject – like most attempts at trying to please everyone.
Generally, Canadians do want what’s good for the environment. That would include federal oversight to see that development of this resource is done responsibly and that pipelines are built with every safeguard possible. Canadians also – whether or not they think about it on a regular basis – appreciate the revenues that flowed from the west when the oil flowed.
Realistically, if we were going to talk about phasing out oilsands development tomorrow, the alternatives would have needed to be established decades ago.
We still hope ultimately to advance to greener sources of energy, and of economic development. Like anything new, it goes step by step. But you can see why it’s a touchy subject to wax philosophic about it prematurely. It’s bound to anger many western politicians, a case of biting the hand that has fed you for so long.