Author Archive

Meet the Man Selling Canada’s Oil Sands to Washington

Globe and Mail: Ottawa is quietly using a well-connected Conservative MP as a direct liaison with the U.S. Congress to help build support for the Keystone XL pipeline project and a raft of other Canadian priorities in Washington. Rob Merrifield is operating on a mandate letter from Prime Minister Stephen Harper that instructs him to represent Canadian interests to the legislative branch of the U.S. government on everything from the oil-sands crude pipeline to speeding the passage of trade through heavy American...

Boosting Economy More Important for Canada Than Approving Keystone XL: U.S. Ambassador

Globe and Mail: U.S. ambassador David Jacobson says the most useful thing his country can do for Canada is not green-lighting the Keystone XL pipeline but curing its ailing economy. "The single most important thing ... that the U.S. can do for Canada is get its economy back on track," Mr. Jacobson told an Ottawa conference on Canada-U.S. relations Monday. The U.S. is Canada’s biggest customer for exports and any improvement in American economic growth would boost sales for Canadian companies. Last January,...

Canada: Harper’s embrace of “ethical” oil sands reignites “dirty” arguments

Globe and Mail: Stephen Harper is embracing the notion that Canada's controversial oil sands are an "ethical' source of energy, strengthening his support of the maligned resource and kicking off a new chapter in the debate over what critics call "dirty oil.' The Prime Minister told reporters Friday that his government wants to "explain to the world' that petroleum from Western Canada's oil sands is superior in respects to crude from other countries. "The oil sands are a very important resource for our country,...

Canada: Minister vows not to let emissions rules hamper oil-sands investment

Globe and Mail: Citing the tentative economic recovery, new Environment Minister Peter Kent says the Harper government will not impose any greenhouse-gas reductions on the oil patch that discourage investment. Canada, which has committed to roughly matching U.S. efforts on fighting climate change, is watching carefully as the Obama administration rolls out new emission rules for power plants and refineries. Mr. Kent said Canada will draw up its own emission standards for petroleum refineries -- including oil...