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"If you’re hoping for a “harmonized” Canadian equivalent to this (U.S. climate action) effort, prepare to be disappointed," says Clare Demerse, Pembina Institute.
On January 4th Prime Minister Harper made a minor cabinet shuffle that placed MP Peter Kent (Thornhill, ON) into the post of Environment Minister.
Since then there has been a flurry of critique about comments Kent has made and how he will tackle this substantial portfolio.
His comments dubbing the oil sands industry in Canada's west, "ethical oil", has clearly been an attempt to change the debate from emission and proper environmental regulations. This ploy has been denounced not only by opposition MPs, but environmental and social justice organizations from the US and Canada.
John Dillion from the ecumenical human rights organization, Kairos frames the issue differently. “From our point of view, there’s a more fundamental question, and that is the ethics of dependence on oil itself, no matter where it comes from, given the ecological crisis we’re facing on climate change.”
In addition, Kent's accusation of slander and “outright lies” from U.S. environmental groups, has been met with anger and surprise that an environment minister is more interested in slandering American's than the environmental impacts from tar sands oil.
The questions and concern about what Kent will actually bring to the job of Environment Minister still looms.
"If you’re hoping for a “harmonized” Canadian equivalent to this (U.S. climate action) effort, prepare to be disappointed. Kent has already ruled out matching the U.S. approach. Instead, he said he’ll achieve the same outcome — but left the key question of how he plans to do so up to the imagination," notes Clare Demerse with the Pembina Institute.
In December, then Minister of the Environment, John Baird committed the department to creating a gold standard for environmental monitoring of oil sands development. Perhaps this will come to pass during Kent's stay in the job. However, with the industry set to double output in the next 10 years the standards may come too late to influence the bulk of oil sands projects.
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Op-ed by Clare Demerse, Pembina Institute
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