Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Mulcair needs to seize chance

Whether it was intended or not, the meeting of western Canadian leaders in Edmonton provided federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair a huge opportunity to turn around his Dutch disease.

Until now Mr. Mulcair has stuck to his twisted argument that the oilsands are hurting Canada, either by inflating the currency or destroying the environment. But outside the party's Wednesday caucus meeting he seemed to soften his tone.

Insisting that he never took issue with provincial policies on developing the resource, the NDP leader also refused to take the bait and repeat his accusation that the heated development of oilsands has imposed on Canada a case of Dutch disease that's killing the nation's manufacturing sector.

On both of these fronts, Mr. Mulcair could have clung to a narrow base and stood his ground. Concerns about the environmental impact of the oilsands development extend as far as Alberta Premier Alison Redford's office. Meanwhile, studies about the Dutch disease impact are so common and contradictory that, even as Mr. Mulcair was packing for today's trip to the West, two reports were released that reached diametrically opposed conclusions.

The Calgary-based Pembina Institute's study, In the Shadow of the Boom: How oilsands development is reshaping Canada's economy, suggested the country is suffering from a strain of Dutch disease that's causing "oilsands fever." Within hours the Ottawa-based Macdonald-Laurier Institute released its study, No Dutch Treat: Oil and Gas Wealth Benefits All of Canada, which said that if the oilsands develop as hoped, Canada's federal and provincial governments by 2033 would see their GDP increase by trillions of dollars, revenues grow by more than $400 billion and employment increase by more than half a million person years.

On Tuesday, as the western leaders were wrapping up their session, Premier Brad Wall said they all recognize the "need to do more in terms of sustainability."

And when Mr. Mulcair, who insists that he doesn't oppose development, climbs into a helicopter to fly over what is considered among the largest industrial developments on Earth, he will be a guest of a major oilsands developer, Suncor. The company's hospitality is an expression of the industry's desire to convince Canadians of its eagerness to address the environmental and economic concerns.

This week, for example, Enbridge Inc. launched a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign to sway public opinion over its proposed Northern Gateway project in order to win a "social licence to build this pipeline," explained a company spokesperson.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace has ramped up efforts to discredit any oilsands development.

There are many reasons why environmentalists and Native groups have growing concerns over how oilsands developments are proceeding. Not the least of these has to be the recent move by Ottawa to take decision making away from arms-length judicial bodies such as the National Energy Board and move them behind closed cabinet doors.

Mr. Mulcair either can promote a more co-operative and open way of deciding economic development, or write off any chance of moving into 24 Sussex Drive.

Original Article
Source: the star phoenix
Author: The StarPhoenix

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