Levant's ethical oil case takes hits from all sides

TV host Ezra Levant raised some eyebrows by calling oil from Canada's oilsands "the fair trade coffee of the world's oil industry."

Levant, who has become a spokesperson for the so-called "ethical oil" movement and has made a career bolstering the Alberta oilsands, was a keynote speaker Tuesday at Pacific Northwest Economic Region's (PNWER) annual summit in Saskatoon.

"Out of the top 10 oil reserve countries in the world, we are the only one that is a liberal democracy," Levant told the crowd, which had a large contingent of people working in the oil and gas industry.

Levant distinguishes oil produced in Canada from so-called conflict oil produced in countries such as Saudi Arabia, which don't have the same environmental standards or human rights records.

"I'm just saying we should have a moral preference for the ethical stuff," Levant said after the speech.

But not everyone at the conference was buying Levant's pitch. One U.S. state senator took particular exception to Levant's claim that oilsands can be environmentally friendly.

"Alberta is not going to win the environmental argument. Period. It is dirtier oil," Washington State Sen. Kevin Ranker said.

"Is it better for the U.S. to get its energy resources from Canada than Saudi Arabia? Absolutely. So fight on the fronts you can win, not the ones you can't. Trying to win on an environmental argument is not going to happen."

Levant has spent much of his recent career criticizing environmental groups. In his speech Tuesday he accused them of using propaganda to promote their anti-oilsands agenda. At least one group, was prepared to respond.

"The way the oilsands are being developed is environmentally irresponsible. And so I don't really understand what his argument really is other than to say insulting things to people like me," said John Bennett, executive director of Sierra Club Canada.

Bennett said the passing of Bill C-38 - which loosened environmental regulations - means Canada has taken a serious step backward when it comes to environmental protection.

"The exploitation of oil in Canada results in despoiling the environment. It releases toxic chemicals into environment which find their way into people and leads to climate change. That's not ethical," Bennett said.

Original Article
Source: the star phoenix
Author: Charles Hamilton