While supporting the Energy East oil pipeline, former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna says Canada doesn’t have to be the world’s Boy Scout on climate change.
Fair enough. I doubt our country’s leaders have made much progress on earning that badge, anyway.
I don’t argue with his position that Canada could unlock some wealth for shareholders and oil companies by ramping up production of the tarsands, assisted by the proposed Energy East oil pipeline.
But by the same margin, no one can argue that ignoring the impact this project will have on climate change will leave our country and its people profoundly poorer.
By failing to include climate change in its review of TransCanada’s application, the National Energy Board overlooked what should be Job One related to this project: does it even make sense in a world trying to reduce its dependence on oil and make deep cuts in carbon pollution?
World leaders, with or without Canada, are gearing up to reduce carbon pollution – something the United Nations has called for repeatedly, most recently just last month.
Factoring this issue into the NEB review would be complex, but it’s the right thing to do.
Personally, I think the world needs more Boy Scouts from Canada. Instead, we give them Planet Dr. Evil.
I’d far sooner come across more like the proud little sash- and badge-sporting citizens than Mike Myers’ hunchbacked character raising a pinky to the edge of his lip and muttering, ‘how about no’ to curbing climate change.