2010 03 09
fullpage ad in Variety march 4 2010 at Sierra Club Canada Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers: Canadian Oil is Responsible Energy “We invite these activists back to planet Earth to discuss the appropriate balance between environmental protection, economic growth and a safe and reliable supply of energy.” [if this was an association of human organ harvesters, it would no doubt argue the need for balance between torture of people, making money and a reliable medical supply] said John Bennett, executive director of Sierra Club Canada, one of the groups that backed the ad:"Avatar is about industrialists wanting to take every last resource and use it without regard for the future, or for those who live nearby. That's very synonymous with what's happening with the tar sands."
from Sierra Club "We used to be able to drink water directly from Beaver Lake and it didn't hurt us. We can no longer do that, and we can no longer make a traditional way of life in our home territory because of the tar sands developments. The oil companies can phrase it any way they like but no one has ever not dug for oil because of us and we don't find the consultation process meaningful." "While First Nations have been in the region for more than 10,000 years, major tarsands companies like Syncrude and Suncor have been leasees in our traditional homelands for only a fraction of that time, 40 years to be exact, I would question CAPP's take on characterizing us as "their" neighbours. I am a member and former Chief of the Mikisew Cree First Nation, the largest First Nation in the Athabasca tarsands and today our First Nation has no "formal" relationship with Syncrude or Suncor, that after 40 years is not something I would characterize as good corporateresponsibility. They actually have both recently been applying pressure to the First Nations in our community of Fort Chipewyan for speaking out publicly about environmental, health and other issues that we have observed with the unrelenting pace of tarsands development in the past few years. "CAPP does not speak for aboriginal people; we will speak for ourselves. More and more of us are saying we don't want your tar sands, we don't want your pipelines, and we don't want your oil tankers. Robert Engler The Politics of Oil: a study of private power and democratic directions (Chicago University Press 1961 out of print but still available on the net): |
see also [poisoned for profit]