Steve Harper, whose credibility is beyond shredded, is pledging to Canadians that he'll never, never, ever, ever let the Chinese government corner a chunk of the Tar Sands - except for this one time. Just this one. No more. Ever. Promise. Unless, of course, it's "exceptional."
While green-lighting the sale, Harper said the mounting wave of
takeovers of Canada’s oilsands by foreign state-owned firms has gone far
enough and will not be allowed to continue except in “exceptional”
circumstances.
“To be blunt, Canadians have not
spent years reducing the ownership of sectors of the economy by our own
governments, only to see them bought and controlled by foreign
governments instead,” Harper told the media after the announcement
Friday.
“The government’s concern and
discomfort for some time has been that very quickly, a series of
large-scale controlling transactions by foreign state-owned companies
could rapidly transform this (oilsands) industry from one that is
essentially a free market to one that is effectively under control of a
foreign government.”
Steve said Beijing's Northern Gateway reach around was just too sublime to refuse. The Alberta government is beside itself with joy. The Nexen sell-out obviously commits Harper to ramming through the Northern Gateway so those Chinese Tar Sands barons can get their sludge across the Pacific. The gloves are off from here on in.
Off topic comment.. but I'll beg your indulgence.. and submit ..
ReplyDeleteI've sent this note (below) to you, Saskboy, Pogge and 6th Estate and will prob send to G Beaver
I'm looking for feedback... or critique
I believe 'freedom of information' requests may blow this wide open
----
I came across an exceptional article via the always excellent NorthernInsights.
The article, story and its included links re Alexandra Morton and Christi Miller, I was well aware of.. but Ms Morton (bless her vibrant marine biologist soul..) included several links I had not seen before, in her letter to one Dr Bernard Vallat.. One particular link takes you to Canada's Justice Department website regarding Canadian law.
After continuing my very careful read of Ms Morton's letter and other helpful links, I also saw mention of how The Privy Council is involved. I suddenly realized there is a specific law.. and public record connecting infected salmon - suppression and obstruction of related science - directly to Stephen Harper
Would you have a look ? There's a comment included below the article that attempts to pull the facts together in terms of collusion, malfeasance, incompetence, suppression and obstruction. There is a crime underway.
Since all of this is public record via The Cohen Commission I was startled by the obvious.. There's links (below).. and as mentioned, the letter to Mr Vallat portrays a path of suppression, obstruction, delay, scientific muzzling regarding infected wild salmon, via infected Atlantic salmon eggs, virus testing etc through the CFIA, the BC provincial government and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans and on to The Privy Council..
I don't need to tell you who runs The Privy Council ..
that's Stephen Harper and Ray Novak
Northernisights may not understand who could actually end up in jail ..... !
- http://northerninsights.blogspot.ca/2012/12/those-in-way-may-end-up-in-jail.html
- http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/ (letter to Dr Vallat)
I hope mainstream media can follow up with the suggested requests in the 'comment' via freedom of information
I'd like to know why Canada cannot just sell oil to China without selling off companies. If China wants Canadian oil..tarsands...then they fork out as to how to get it into their hands after buying it from Canada....and just in case...this is not favouring the Tarsands in any way. Can't these so called economists get their heads around it? Sal...what you have written was reported on CBC radio some time ago.
ReplyDelete@ Anon. We're not selling "oil." We're selling very high-carbon bitumen mixed with highly toxic dilutents in a combined form known as "dilbit." It's NOT oil.
ReplyDeleteThe world actually has ample reserves of low-carbon, sweet crude oil. That's one reason Alberta is still in the red despite its illusory petro-wealth. This stuff is so marginal that we can't even bear the cost of refining it in Alberta.
Fossil fuels are sub-prime assets. There is a huge and dangerous fossil fuel bubble today. A blue ribbon panel of British investors, scientists and statesmen laid that all out before the Governor of the Bank of England last January. It has been confirmed elsewhere since then.
At times I think it's only cognitive dissonance on steroids that keeps the Tar Sands operating at all.