Oilsands. The very word conjures up images of unparalleled natural destruction and is, unfortunately, synonymous with the word ‘Canada.’
Well aware of the stigma the oilsands brings to the nation’s reputation, Environment Minister Jim Prentice has spoken up and stated the obvious. He warns that Canada is in danger of becoming a “global poster child for environmentally unsound resource development” and says the industry must change its ways. He also warned that the government has the will and power to bring in tighter regulations, adding that, “In our efforts, we will expect and we will secure the co-operation of those private interests which are developing the oilsands.”
It’s an about-face to the stance Prentice took one year ago, in which he defended Canada’s development of the oilsands following a candid and disturbing article published in National Geographic. A year later, the deafening noise from public outcries seems to have reached his ears.
But the same old catch-22 exists. The economy or the environment? The oilsands are seen by industry lobbyists as a key pillar in economic and energy security for Canada. The government appears to agree and said it would support expanding oilsands development, though environmental obligations must be considered.
However, Prentice stated that Canada would not implement a cap-and-trade emissions reduction program or regulations until their largest trading partner, the U.S., does the same, claiming it would be “utterly pointless” to pursue climate change targets without U.S. participation and would create trade barriers and unfair disadvantages for domestic businesses.
The U.S., however, has problems to contend with of their own, which are crowding out climate change issues at present.
Although certain provinces, such as B.C., Ontario, and Quebec have pledged aggressive action, Alberta’s personal greenhouse gas plan would not see emissions cut by the province until 2020. A new federal target aims to reduce emissions by 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, identical to the U.S. goal and down from Canada’s previous commitment of 20 percent from 2006 levels.
To those who view the oilsands in a profoundly negative light, it looks like Canada will continue to play the villain well into the future.
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