Political satirist Andy Cobb’s take on the recent ExxonMobil tar sands oil spill in Mayflower, Arkansas: America’s oil industry is terribly misunderstood. When a lot of people hear “364 pipeline spills in 2012″ they think it’s a big mess, like a nearly realized advent calendar of crap. What they fail [...]

The post Tar Sands: Exxon’s New “Energy Everywhere” Program (Satirical Video) appeared first on The Canadian Progressive .

By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: A new national coalition against TransCanada’s Keystone XL tar sands pipeline launched in the U.S. on Monday with a cutting-edge TV ad. The All Risk, No Reward Coalition seeks to debunk Big Oil’s propaganda about jobs and related benefits. The coalition argues that “the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is all risk, [...]

The post New Progressive US Coalition Launches Keystone XL ‘All Risk, No Reward’ TV Ad appeared first on The Canadian Progressive .

On the environmental side, I’ll limit my focus to one priority resolution. That’s in part because the NDP’s existing policy book looks to largely cover the most important aspects of the environment, and because the resolutions submitted for the Montrea…

On the environmental side, I’ll limit my focus to one priority resolution. That’s in part because the NDP’s existing policy book looks to largely cover the most important aspects of the environment, and because the resolutions submitted for the Montreal convention largely have a fairly narrow focus (which takes it outside my goals in assembling the priority resolutions list).

But one resolution does offer some important new material to define the NDP’s direction, even if it looks fairly familiar based on the party’s current policy: 2-51-13 Resolution on Energy and PipelinesSubmitted by Toronto-DanforthBE IT RESOLVED THAT the following be added to Section 2.4 of the policy book:i. Opposing the shipment of unrefined oil-sands bitumen through pipelines (new or old) over long distances, and only supporting the shipment of refined bitumen in the context of (1) the refining taking place close to the source of extraction, (2) the end product being . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: #mtlqc13 Priority Resolution – Environment

Last week, TransCanada announced that it is moving ahead with its proposed Energy East pipeline which would carry oil from Alberta to Atlantic waters. If you are among those getting confused by all the different pipelines making headlines — Nor…

Rules “a consequence of weakened federal environmental laws under Bill C-38″ By: Greenpeace Canada & Environmental Defence | Press Release: TORONTO, ON, Apr 5, 2013 – New undemocratic rules are creating a barrier to public participation in upcoming National Energy Board (NEB) hearings into the proposal for Enbridge’s Line 9 oil pipeline. [...]

The post New undemocratic rules barrier to public participation in Enbridge’s Line 9 pipeline hearings appeared first on The Canadian Progressive | News & Analysis.

Assorted content for your Sunday reading.- Stephen Maher points out why we shouldn’t believe the Cons for a second when they claim to care about cracking down on offshore tax evasion:The top level of Canadian society is a small club, and it includes p…

Assorted content for your Sunday reading.

- Stephen Maher points out why we shouldn’t believe the Cons for a second when they claim to care about cracking down on offshore tax evasion: The top level of Canadian society is a small club, and it includes politicians. The people who run the country are on excellent terms with the business people who squirrel away money in offshore tax havens.

Shea’s meaningless tough talk was prompted by a CBC report that said Saskatchewan lawyer Tony Merchant has $1.7 million in a Cook Islands bank. Merchant’s wife, Pana, was appointed to the by Jean Chretien in 2002.

Do our politicians want the CRA to crack down on their friends and relatives?

Cockfield points out that the government is ruthless in prosecuting welfare cheats, but offshore cheats are able to skate.

“Super-rich people get tax breaks from tax officials,” he said. “It’s just part . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links

Filed under: Politics Tagged: PR Folly, Shit Harper Did, Tar Sands

Shorter tar sands shills trying to get the general public to do their PR work:Our oil industry affects every single Canadian from coast to coast to coast. Speak up in defence of your corporate masters – it’s your patriotic duty!Shorter tar sands shills…

Shorter tar sands shills trying to get the general public to do their PR work: Our oil industry affects every single Canadian from coast to coast to coast. Speak up in defence of your corporate masters – it’s your patriotic duty!

Shorter tar sands shills when it comes to assessing the potential environmental damage from new pipelines: If we can’t see oil dripping off of you, we don’t care what you have to say.

[Update: And by the way, take a look at Alison’s Dilbit cartoons if you haven’t yet.)

It’s time to internalize the externalities of the fossil fuel industry. For far too long, the extremely high price we all pay in the pollution of our “commons” – air, water, and climate, which also affects the health of far too many of us, has been ignored by governments and the fossil fuel industry. Putting [...]

By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday imposed a no-fly zone over the site of the ExxonMobil Pegasus pipeline disaster in Mayflower, Arkansas. ExxonMobil’s Pegasus tar sands oil pipeline ruptured last Friday and spilled more than 318,000 litres of tar sands oil into a local neighborhood, drainage system and lake. [...]

The post FAA imposed no-fly zone over Exxon’s Pegasus tar sands oil spill site appeared first on The Canadian Progressive | News & Analysis.

With Great Lakes at record low levels, Council of Canadians national chairperson Maude Barlow intensifies call for bold new vision to protect them By: Council of Canadians | Press Release: Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and chair of Food and Water Watch’s board, is embarking on an seven-city [...]

The post Maude Barlow’s bold new vision to protect the Great Lakes appeared first on The Canadian Progressive | News & Analysis.

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- John Greenwood and CBC News both report on the offshore tax avoidance being revealed through the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. And Susan Lunn observes that Canada’s federal parties are all at least paying lip service to the issue – though of course the Cons’ cuts to tax enforcement speak louder than their spin.

- Meanwhile, Paul McLeod notes that income inequality will also receive at least some much-needed attention in Parliament. And Danyaal Raza’s discussion of the damage done to public health by inequality looks to offer one important point worth studying:

Not only are we falling behind when compared to our past selves, but also when compared to other high-income countries. For example, in the case of income inequality and child wellbeing, we are stuck in the mediocre middle behind countries like Denmark, Spain, Finland and Belgium. The same pattern is repeated for mental health, obesity, drug abuse and a multitude of other health ills.

In the United Kingdom, where research first established the link between income inequality and health, the issue has received cross-partisan support. In 2009, Prime Minister David Cameron of the Conservative Party acknowledged that “among the richest countries, it’s the more unequal ones that do worse according to almost every quality of life indicator,” while the Labour Party’s Ed Milliband stated, “The gap between rich and poor does matter. It doesn’t just harm the poor, it harms us all.”

Here at home, Canadians mirror such cross-partisan support. A recent Broadbent Institute study found that 58% of Conservative supporters, 71% of New Democrats and 72% of Liberals are all willing to pay more to protect social programs and make reducing income inequality a higher priority.

As a family doctor who sees the impacts of these public policies on the front lines, I find myself nodding in agreement to these sentiments and calls to action. While there are some clinical interventions I can use to address income and health, systemic policy change will be the ultimate lever of change. It is time for both federal and provincial governments to raise additional revenue from those most able to afford it in order to support social programs that help redistribute income and provide immediate health benefits for all people in Canada. In the face of mounting evidence of this growing problem and its consequences for our health and the health of our patients, our governments can no longer sit on their hands. The time for leadership on this issue has come.

- Pat Atkinson notes that the hidden effects of the Cons’ budget include an attack on small credit unions.

- Finally, I’m fairly sure this was the headline the Alberta PCs wanted in order to change the narrative about the Cons’ environmental neglect. But there’s still ample reason for skepticism about a system based entirely on “intensity” targets rather than real ones – retaining the possibility that the tar sands can continue to ramp up their greenhouse gas emissions without paying a dime (or even collect credits for doing so).

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- John Greenwood and CBC News both report on the offshore tax avoidance being revealed through the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. And Susan Lunn observes that Canada’s federal parties are all at least paying lip service to the issue – though of course the Cons’ cuts to tax enforcement speak louder than their spin.

- Meanwhile, Paul McLeod notes that income inequality will also receive at least some much-needed attention in Parliament. And Danyaal Raza’s discussion of the damage done to public health by inequality looks to offer one important point worth Not only are we falling behind when compared to our past selves, but also when compared to other high-income countries. For example, in the case of income inequality and child wellbeing, we are stuck in the mediocre middle behind countries like Denmark, Spain, Finland and Belgium. The same pattern is . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links

By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: Last Friday’s ExxonMobil Pegasus pipeline disaster in Mayflower, Arkansas, should warn Canadians against Enbridge’s proposed Line 9 project, says Environmental Defence. The Pegasus pipeline raptured and spilled more than 318,000 litres of tar sands oil into a local neighborhood and near a lake. Local residents had to be [...]

The post Exxon’s tar sands oil spill shows risks of Enbridge’s Line 9 project for Ontario and Quebec appeared first on The Canadian Progressive | News & Analysis.

By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: Infographic via: Facebook/Shit Harper Did I recommend: Exxon pipeline breaks, spills 84,000 gallons of Canadian tar sands oil in Arkansas (VIDEO)   We recommend:State Department’s Keystone XL Project Review Upsets EnvironmentalistsExxon pipeline breaks, spills 84,000 gallons of Canadian tar sands oil in Arkansas (VIDEO)In Texas, An Activist Climbs [...]

The post Bad Week For The Tar Sands: March 25 – 31, 2013 (Infographic) appeared first on The Canadian Progressive | News & Analysis.

By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: Yet another warning of the disasters Canadians and Americans would be forced to endure regularly if President Obama approves TransCanada Corp’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline. On Friday, the ExxonMobil Pegasus pipeline, which ships Canadian tar sands oil to Texas, ruptured in Mayflower, Arkansas, and spilled more than 80,000 [...]

The post Exxon pipeline breaks, spills 84,000 gallons of Canadian tar sands oil in Arkansas (VIDEO) appeared first on The Canadian Progressive | News & Analysis.

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- George Monbiot proposes a basic income as one of the great ideas needed to challenge corporatist orthodoxy: A basic income (also known as a citizen’s income) gives everyone, rich and poor, without means-testing or conditions, a guaranteed sum every week. It replaces some but not all benefits (there would, for instance, be extra payments for pensioners and people with disabilities). It banishes the fear and insecurity now stalking the poorer half of the population. Economic survival becomes a right, not a privilege.

A basic income removes the stigma of benefits while also open what politicians call the welfare trap. Because taking work would not reduce your entitlement to social security, there would be no disincentive to find a job – all the money you earn is extra income. The poor are not forced by desperation into the arms of unscrupulous employers: people will . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links