* Mulcair mimics Obama’s Keystone doctrine in oil sands pipelines policy

New Democratic Party Leader Thomas Mulcair has essentially adopted the Obama doctrine when it comes to approving new oil sands pipelines – projects would be judged based on whether they significantly increase Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The NDP’s policy is not to shut down the oil sands – or even to rule out some expansion of production. But the party is promising a national cap-and-trade program aimed at meeting Canada’s international obligations on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and Mr. Mulcair said an NDP government would toughen environmental reviews for pipeline projects to ensure they are consistent with those obligations.