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Scheer leaves himself open to claims he’s in cahoots with Big Oil

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    Scheer leaves himself open to claims he’s in cahoots with Big Oil

    https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-scheer-leaves-himself-open-to-claims-hes-in-cahoots-with-big-oil/

    Opinion
    Scheer leaves himself open to claims he’s in cahoots with Big Oil
    Campbell Clark

    Published April 25, 2019
    Updated 1 hour ago


    Maybe the federal Conservatives were getting so excited about Jason Kenney’s impending victory in Alberta’s provincial election that they were blinded to the stupid thing they were doing.

    In Alberta, there was, and is, so much anger about the economy, unemployment, the glut of oil and the lack of pipelines to ship it, that Mr. Kenney’s full-throated campaign to improve the lot of the oil patch was a political no-brainer.

    But when Andrew Scheer agreed to be the keynote speaker at a closed-door event on April 11 where Conservative Party strategists spoke to oil industry executives about political campaigns, he goofed.

    One reason it was a mistake is that the rest of Canada isn’t Alberta. Another is that oil-industry executives might be the least popular advocates for the oil patch. Above all, it makes it look like the Conservatives aren’t just sympathetic to the oil patch, they’re in a joint venture with oil execs.

    That’s not good in a country where most dislike corporate involvement in political campaigns. And it’s not good for Mr. Scheer, who already gives full-throated backing to the oil sector, to give opponents the opportunity to argue he’s in cahoots with Big Rich Oil Inc.

    And they did. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna tweeted: “Andrew Scheer has been caught scheming behind closed doors with wealthy executives to gut environmental protection laws, silence critics, and make pollution free again.”

    The people around Mr. Scheer apparently realize the whole thing doesn’t look great. That’s presumably why they didn’t tell anyone about it. They’re not eager to talk about it now.

    But the details of the meeting’s agenda were reported by The Globe and Mail on Wednesday.

    The event was organized by something called the Modern Miracle Network, which was set up last year by Michael Binnion, the CEO of Questerre Energy Corp., who has been involved in Conservative circles, to promote the narrative of oil and gas as a modern miracle. The attendees included several other oil execs who are board members of the organization, according to the agenda.

    The event didn’t just feature Mr. Scheer as keynote speaker. The Conservative campaign manager, Hamish Marshall, spoke in a section on “the new third-party campaign model” – a reference to campaigns by organizations that are not political parties. So did Mark Spiro, a veteran Conservative organizer who helped run the ground game in former prime minister Stephen Harper’s campaigns. The agenda noted those discussions would include “network campaigns” and “campaign techniques,” like rallying the base.

    Some of the other items on the agenda included the Conservative Party lawyer, Arthur Hamilton, talking about using litigation as a tool to “get tough” on environmental NGOs and former Donald Trump aide Mike Roman talking about countering such groups through opposition research, which is the political euphemism for digging up dirt on adversaries.

    Certainly that looks like Conservatives and oil-industry execs giving each other tips on political campaigning. Some of the organizations that participated, including the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, insist they are non-partisan. One participant said it was really about selling the oil sector’s narrative, rather than defeating Liberals.

    Yet there was Mr. Scheer, along with Conservative campaign strategists, at a closed-door event they don’t want to talk about.

    “What I think is concerning about this event is that it was done behind closed doors, it was secret, and there was very clearly, based on the reporting that I saw … an attempt to co-ordinate efforts,” Karina Gould, the Minister of Democratic Institutions, told The Globe and Mail in an interview.

    Ms. Gould noted there are new laws that prohibit parties from colluding with third-party interest groups that conduct partisan political activities in the official pre-election period that begins June 30 – although she didn’t say that anyone in this case violated them.

    But the real problem for Mr. Scheer is his opponents can cite it over and over again – outside Alberta.

    The problem isn’t the voters in Ontario or B.C. or Quebec who see the oil patch as big polluters to be shut rather than economic drivers. The Tories won’t get those votes, anyway.

    But there are a lot of other voters in those places who might be more sympathetic to Mr. Scheer’s arguments about the oil sector’s contribution to the economy – but not if they think he’s a spokesman for oil executives. And he has helped his opponents paint that picture.

    #2
    Just imagine how much better the books would look if one pipeline would have been built....jobs, revenue, money to help conservation agencies even more than the 100 million handed out the other day to counter the effects of revenue generating oil....


    And when the solar panels are needing to be replaced or trashed there will be a fund for them as well...

    Just think how terrible it would be to have a functioning energy sector?????

    Comment


      #3
      If Scheer, Kenney and Moe only listen to the oil industry and their special interest group friends we end up with the oil industry writing policy for the Conservatives. Which can leave billions of dollars of cleanup costs for orphaned, abandoned, and suspended wells for taxpayers and landowners to pay for. Which is what we have now.

      There has to be a balance of interests taken in to account in resource development. It can't be all one sided weak regulations and enforcement that leaves farmers and ranchers with all the problems and in some cases no revenue for oil and gas installations. There are a a lot of insolvent and fly by night oil companies that took the money and ran especially in Alberta. What are Scheer and Kenney going to do about it?

      Comment


        #4
        It will be a relief this October when we once again have a PM that respects the oil and energy sector. Get all the pipelines built.
        Blow up the treasonous Bill C-69 and C-48.
        Keep oil in the pipes and grain on the train.

        Audit the foreign funded lobbyists shutting down our industries including the David Suzuki Foundation, Tides, Rockefeller groups, etc.

        Comment


          #5
          And cancel the EVIL BIASED CBC funded with our own billions$$, telling us what to think!Click image for larger version

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          Comment


            #6
            Cluck cluck campaigning early !
            Good thing cause he has a big job ahead of him !

            Comment


              #7
              I don't mind that they banned tanker traffic on the west coast.....now do it to the east coast....and see how that plays out....

              Incredible foolishness and wonder why there is talk of separation again...

              It took Chretien Martin and Harper 20 years to put that genie back in the bottle and Trudeau let it out in less than 2.....

              Comment


                #8
                So are you guys are in favour of having taxpayers pay for the cleanup costs for abandoned and orphaned wells? No response seems to indicate you are in favour of subsidizing the oil industry.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by bucket View Post
                  I don't mind that they banned tanker traffic on the west coast.....now do it to the east coast....and see how that plays out....

                  Incredible foolishness and wonder why there is talk of separation again...

                  It took Chretien Martin and Harper 20 years to put that genie back in the bottle and Trudeau let it out in less than 2.....
                  Alberta is happy as long as the price of oil is high but when the price drops its always a politicians fault. Harper was in power when oil crashed. He wasn't able to get a pipeline to the west coast built either. Why not blame Harper for the price of oil? Oil has always been a cyclical industry. Maybe Alberta should consider diversifying its economy? Even Harper saw the writing on the wall when he signed the G7 Agreement that Canada would stop using fossil fuels by 2100. Harper, betraying his Alberta roots for the good of the planet?

                  Comment


                    #10
                    I would rather subsidize the oil industry instead of subsidizing CBC

                    Comment


                      #11
                      And I should add why should the taxpayer pick up the tab for that imbecile prime minister and his family to fly across the country in a taxpayer owned jet to go surfing then stop in Saskatoon for lunch. Another taxpayer funded holiday when is this idiot going to grow up.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by jimmy View Post
                        And I should add why should the taxpayer pick up the tab for that imbecile prime minister and his family to fly across the country in a taxpayer owned jet to go surfing then stop in Saskatoon for lunch. Another taxpayer funded holiday when is this idiot going to grow up.
                        and that would be a million dollar cost lunch

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Sorry chuck, your shaming exercise is over just like our govts. We should be proud, happy and supportive of a world leading industry that pays the bills and keeps together a country that doesn't deserve it.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by jazz View Post
                            Sorry chuck, your shaming exercise is over just like our govts. We should be proud, happy and supportive of a world leading industry that pays the bills and keeps together a country that doesn't deserve it.
                            Nothing shameful about asking a profitable industry to be accountable and cleanup its mess , unless you are an ass kissing gutless politician.

                            Anybody who thinks the oil industry and Alberta and the prairies are the only ones who work hard and contribute to the well being of the country need to get out more.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by chuckChuck View Post
                              Nothing shameful about asking a profitable industry to be accountable and cleanup its mess , unless you are an ass kissing gutless politician.

                              Anybody who thinks the oil industry and Alberta and the prairies are the only ones who work hard and contribute to the well being of the country need to get out more.
                              The only ass kissing gutless politician I see for sure is JT .

                              Comment

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