Wishful thinking  

If Canadians are willing to sacrifice their environment for oil profit, there is no reason to believe that Chinese will care more about the environment of Canada than Canadians do.
China might be wise to keep a safe distance from dirty Canadian tar sand oil. Similarly, China would be even wiser not to buy oil from Iran. But they do. Judging from what China has been conducting business, Northern Gateway pipeline is most certainly not a pipe dream.

A fair warning  

Well written - a fair warning!

How can the Canadian Tory government behave that insolently?

Factually incorrect  

This article, like so many on the topic, is not founded on facts but political beliefs. I'll just touch on a few as almost every paragraph is based on myth.

Products from the Oil Sands are Bitumen and Synthetic Crude Oil and all the products that can be refined from those. Synthetic Crude is made to order making it the sweetest oil available, if that is what is ordered.

Water is almost completely recycled, some plants draw no water from rivers, others use river water to make up for evaporation, only. An average city uses much more water.

The environmental damage is insignificant compared to the damage caused by most other industries. All projects have reclamation plans some of which have already occurred. Something we have yet to see for areas affected by urban expansion internationally.

Canada is a large country, with large lakes, oceans and many forests. Canada naturally sinks more carbon than they emit and have been sinking the worlds carbon for decades.

No oil in the world faces as many environmental and human rights restrictions as Canadian oil.

Trade must be socially and environmentally responsible  

A thoughtful article Angela, I wish the comments were as well informed. Working over the past 6 years on environment and development issues in China it is clear that the same battle between short-term economic gain and long-term health of economy, people and the environment is being fought across the world. Big business and their political advocates have lost the trust of most people. Men and women of goodwill must work together if we want a healthier future.

Our businesses and governments should use some of their economic gains to support social development, education and environmental protection, and Canadians need to realize we are enriching ourselves at the expense of the health and well-being of others and the environment.

As for our Chinese friends, the shoe is on the other foot. As Chinese enterprises go abroad China has the responsibility to make sure its behaviour respects human rights and the environment. The Tar Sands development and northern gateway project risk both and a fair and open public review process is essential to Canada’s reputation as a democratic society. This issue is and must continue to be about more than money.

http://www.harmonyfdn.ca

Reply to Haefen 'Factually Incorrect'  

Hi Haefen,

Interesting comments. Can you give us some sources to back them up so other readers can look at the issue themselves?

On your point about Canada being a carbon sink: just because Canada happens to have natural carbon sinks doesn't mean Canada somehow has a right to emit more. If climate change was limited by national boundaries then perhaps Canada could control its emissions to keep in step with the uptake of its carbon sinks. But climate change is a global problem and every tonne of CO2 emitted, no matter where it comes from, represents a global problem that is shared by us all.

Canada offers the solution  

The oil sands and north american pipelines give those concerned about the environment and human rights a source of transitional oil that is the best compromise available.

The pipelines being built and operated elsewhere on the planet do not have the intense scrutiny those in Canada have. For example we hear little of the pipelines in Russia or those being built from Southern Sudan through Kenya.

Canadian pipelines are open to discussion and must meet standards others could not.

We need oil today to grow food to feed people, to heat homes, to make plastic. Oil is the very foundation of our ability to have 10 Billion people living on this fragile planet. Yet we need an oil that encourages better sources of energy.

Oil Sands oil is that oil. It is expensive, heavily monitored, and made in a country with modern environmental standards and most importantly is open to scrutiny.

Expensive oil, like that from the oil sands, open the markets to the many other much more sustainable energy sources. The future is not oil but today the best oil for those concerned about the future is Canadian Oil.

Native Canadians write an open letter to the Chinese people  

They are protesting against Steven Harper's plan to build the Enbridge Northern Gateway Oil Pipeline and Tankers through their lands, territories, and watersheds. They say: "Harper plans to violate our indigenous human rights to build this 1200 kilometre oil pipeline from the Alberta oil sands to the Pacific Ocean. We will not allow Harper to force this oil pipeline through our lands. Under United Nations international law, we have the right to say no to this pipeline. We will enforce our legal rights to protect our waters from this the risk of an oil spill.
We are the sovereign Indigenous nations of the Fraser River Watershed in British Columbia, Canada. We are many nations, bound together by these waters. Enbridge wants to build pipelines to pump massive amounts of tar sands crude oil through the Fraser’s headwaters, and then use giant oil tankers to carry the oil through very dangerous waters. An oil spill in our lands and rivers would destroy our fish, poison our water, and devastate our peoples, our livelihoods, and our futures. An oil spill on the coast would destroy sources of seafood and fish, like crabs, for thousands of people..." What do chinadialogue readers think??

Reply to 'wishful thinking'  

Dear 'Wishful thinking': the point of this article is not only are Canadians not "willingly to sacrifice their environment for oil profit" - quite the opposite. Perhaps the Canadian government is willing. But the current Conservative government received less than 24% support of those eligible to vote. Canadians have repeatedly expressed that they want to prioritize environment over economic growth, but the government is more interested in oil revenue. Many see it as a failure of democracy.

Response to Haefen  

I’ll assure you that many of the environmentalists cited are driven by political, or social beliefs: the belief that they want to live in a society where policy is driven by science and not by special interests, a society which respects legal process and the original land claims of peoples who were there well before those currently in power, and a society which ensures prosperity or happiness for its members (which goes far beyond money) including for future generations. These social beliefs ought to be reflected in our political system but the reality is that currently they are not. This is a political issue.

As mentioned, many of the Canadian environmentalists recognize the reality of global energy demand and advocate for responsible development of the oil sands. Hopefully they do so at the same time as discussing limits to energy consumption and more broadly, economic growth.

Your comments are exactly the same as the Canadian government’s line that Canadian oil sands are preferable because they come from a government that respects human rights, a democratic country. Harper forgets that only four years ago he didn’t attend the olympic games and has been an outspoken critic of

hi again  

Hi CGN, Political issues should not change the facts, nor should science depend on ones political beliefs. I suspect that all sides agree on that to some extent, except those that cannot stand the light of day. Which should lead one to ask what kind of society they would be working towards.

Almost every part of the planet is claimed by someone other than the people currently controlling it. Respecting all those claims can only lead to war and bloodshed. It is a nice to think everyone can move back to the Africa they came out of but that isn't possible in the real world.

When it comes to supporting some of those claims in Canada it can also mean supporting a racial apartheid system that is every bit as immoral as that in South Africa. Which is to be expected as South Africa based their system on Canada's. Such systems, with their segregation and racial, even tribal and family discrimination should not be given support due to moral and basic human right concerns. Of course the environmental movement has shown us that their politics often trumps human rights when they conflict. That is best seen in their attack of Ethical Canadian Oil.

As pointed out, not buying Canadian oil in most cases means buying blood oil. That so many other environmentalists are fully prepared to do that, and force that choice on others, shows the level of concern they have for human rights and a society based on prosperity and happiness. .

I think most would agree that reducing energy use and being as efficient as practicable is an excellent transitional goal. The best way to reduce energy use significantly and have an increasing standard of living is to have a declining population. Something Canada has already shown the world is possible. Not only is Canada a large country with massive natural carbon sinks but the birth rate is one of the best in the world. Which is a good thing as that gives us more time to find the next best source of energy.

Meanwhile oil will be with us for at least another generation and much longer for it's many other uses. That oil should be Canadian oil because there is a lot of it, it is expensive, employs more people and it's production can be monitored and improved.

People, environmentalists, even non-Canadians will not be shot or imprisoned for helping Canadians by pointing out ways to improve the manufacture of a basic necessity. Just the opposite. They can have an important role in the process but of course only if they choose to. They can also choose to spread hate and misinformation without fear of being shot or imprisoned, something they seem to already know.

As for Harper, don't worry about him. Unlike other oil producers we can and do change our governments all the time and do so without bloodshed.