This story was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center
Published: 5 Dec 2019
Canada has been hailed by some as a leader in the fight to combat climate change. But it is also moving forward with a project to expand a multibillion-dollar oil pipeline to the country's west coast.
The Trans Mountain pipeline has become a flashpoint for politicians, environmentalists and Indigenous groups, many of whom say they weren't adequately consulted on the project and fear a spill could harm their traditional territories.
Big Oil’s mantra that “we have to get our oil to market” is untrue. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), effectively a ministry of propaganda for Big Foreign Oil in Canada, spends millions to convince you that what is good for Big Oil is good for Canada. This is why the mainstream media has spewed misinformation about the Canadian oil and gas industry. The corporate media is not about to lose this income by telling you the truth.
The 2019 federal election has given Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada's New Democratic Party, a golden opportunity. To be sure, the party's caucus was reduced to a band of 24, but a strong campaign by Singh staved off an even harsher fate that had loomed in the earlier polls. And in a minority government situation, Singh is in a pivotal position to influence the direction of the next Liberal government.
The federal government says the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion will bring another $500 million a year in corporate tax revenue to be spent on fighting climate change, but the Liberals won't say where they got that number.
The figure was cited by the government when it approved the project a second time last June and was also included in the Liberals' campaign platform.
Justin Trudeau and Jason Kenny are peddling a fantasy when it comes to fossil fuel development in Canada. Both play to Alberta’s desire for the boom years to return, rather than dealing with the likely future.
"I knew that there were subsidies. I had no idea that we were literally giving up billions of dollars …"
— Tzeporah Berman, the International Program Director at advocacy group Stand.earth
B.C.’s provincial government provided at least $830 million in subsidies in 2017-18 for the production and consumption of fossil fuels, according to a new report out of the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
The Trans Mountain pipeline received $320 million in subsidies from the Canadian and Alberta governments in the first half of 2019, says a new report by an economic institute that analyzes environmental issues.
The money included $135.8 million in direct subsidies and $183.8 million in indirect subsidies that were not clearly disclosed to taxpayers, says the report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
