I've been an outspoken critic of Trudeau environment minister, Cathy McKenna. She and her government have consistently failed Canada and the Canadian people on protecting the environment and tackling climate change, in both mitigation and adaptation.
None of that has changed. They're still in a D-/F range on the environment.
Borderline fail.
But today the head of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers went too far. CAPP CEO Tim McMillan even called her "disrespectful" of Canada's energy industry.
“She continues to profile our industry as if we aren’t responsible. It’s disrespectful and it’s not true."Tim, you seem to think that taking responsibility isn't the same as being responsible.
Your energy giants have shown little interest in taking responsibility for the quarter trillion dollars it will cost when they pull up stakes and stiff Alberta with the bill for cleaning up the Tar Sands tailing ponds. And you're constantly squirming to offload responsibility for those tens of thousands of "orphan wells" those companies leave in their wake.
You see, Tim, taking responsibility and being responsible are really the same thing. And there's nothing remotely disrespectful in treating your industry as irresponsible. Now you can correct that by cutting some pretty big cheques to cover the tab for cleaning up the aftermath of the oil, gas and bitumen you've already extracted. Only that's not going to happen, Tim, is it?
So, Dame Cathy, I'm on your side on this one. How about wedgies all around for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and its CEOs?
OIl companies have become not just powerful but arrogant.
ReplyDeleteJust how arrogant..
http://priceofoil.org/2018/04/09/bp-oil-spill-clean-up-operations-a-welcome-boost-to-local-economies/
Not just arrogant; dangerous.
TB
At least there’s one oil company trying to be responsible.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cbc.ca/news/business/shell-capp-climate-1.5081036
UU
Isn't this just another example of the bitumen bros/ reformatories sexism. No matter what Sheer-nonsense says, they will never change.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this "Dame" honorific applied to Mckenna lately, elsewhere. I presume you picked it up on purpose or by accident. Is it pushback on the sexist attacks? It seems a little 'off' imho.
ReplyDeletewiki: "Dame is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the British honours system and those of several other Commonwealth countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, with the masculine form of address being sir."
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In any case, you are more generous than I. I think that all of Jr's climate kabuki is about distracting us with (weak) aspirational goals and this bit of drama serves that purpose.
We call it greenwashing today ...
It used to be called "rearranging the chairs on the sinking Titanic".
CAPP is getting further and further onto the wrong side of history ...
ReplyDeletehttps://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/major-oil-companies-commit-carbon-145631357.html
UU
They assume they're in the driver's seat. That's because they've been treated with kid gloves for a long time.
ReplyDeleteNPoV, I just did a 'Dame Cathy' search of this blog and I first used the term in 2016. At the time I imagined I had coined the term. I've been a consistent critic of McKenna since she retreated from Notley's environment minister in early 2016.
ReplyDelete@ Owen, they are bold especially since their handmaiden, Jason Kenney, took over.
ReplyDelete11:25....I remember when you did that. I also remember sending you a correction. I'n glad you now know the true answer. Anyong
ReplyDelete