Re: “TMX route through Chilliwack approved by federal regulator,” Chilliwack Progress, July 23, 2021.
Regardless of which political party, our federal governments consistently prop up the already profitable fossil fuel industry. In 2019, Canada’s Liberal government gave the fossil fuel sector 12-fold the subsidization it allocated towards renewable energy innovation. Actually, such lopsided bad-cause subsidization greatly favouring Big Fossil Fuel occurs every budget year, more or less. This is on top of agreeing to triple the diluted bitumen pipeline-flow westward through B.C., which means increasing the oil freighter traffic seven-fold through pristine whale-bearing waters.
It has a solid foundation when even our mainstream print newsmedia formally support Canada’s industry. Postmedia (which, except for The Toronto Star, owns Canada’s major print publications) is on record as being allied with not only the planet’s second most polluting forms of “energy” (i.e. fossil fuel), but also the most polluting/dirtiest of crude oils – bitumen [Source: “Mair on Media’s ‘Unholiest of Alliances’ With Energy Industry,” Rafe Mair, Nov.14 2017, TheTyee.ca].
Furthermore, in late May, Postmedia refused to run paid ads by Leadnow, a social and environmental justice organization, that expose RBC as the largest financer of fossil fuel extraction in Canada.
Clearly there has been discouragingly insufficient political courage and will to properly act on Canada’s significant fossil-fuel role in the cause-and-effect of human-caused global warming and climate change. This includes the most polluting/dirtiest of crude oils – bitumen. Neo-liberals and conservatives are overly preoccupied with vociferously criticizing one another for their politics and beliefs thus diverting attention away from the planet’s greatest polluters, where it should and needs to be sharply focused. Although, it does seem the conservatives don’t mind polluting the natural environment most liberally.
Frank Sterle Jr.
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