Photo of Alberta Premier Rachel Notley at NDP Convention at the Shaw Centre in Edmonton. Photo by Daniel Rodriguez.
By Ron Hart, April 13, 2016
Rachel Notley has a problem. Her problem though emerged before the Leap Manifesto became a huge target to smack at the NDP convention.
Rachel, smiling while frothing at the mouth, vows she isn’t going to give up on pipelines. She’s the champion of all those dependent on Alberta’s oil nest egg from which all blessings flow. Humpty Dumpty may not have been able to put it all back together again, but that isn’t going to deter brave Rachel.
Except there is a problem. And damned if it is not going to go away. No way; no how, Leap Manifesto be damned.
Planetary limits. Climate Science. Mathematics.
Politicians like to negotiate. There comfortable with it. It’s what they do. They try to forge compromises that tweek regulations and forge lows that are more or less palatable with the public.
But Rachel’s problem is you can’t negotiate with science.
You can’t negotiate with planetary limits, however inconvenient. That’s just how the infallible guy in the sky created the universe (or at least that’s how those with a religious bent would frame the debate).
Similarly, you can’t negotiate with mathematics. At the end of the day, one plus one will still equal two.
Scientists estimate that humans can pour roughly 565 more gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by midcentury and still have some reasonable hope of staying below two degrees. (“Reasonable,” in this case, means four chances in five, or somewhat worse odds than playing Russian roulette with a six-shooter.)
And, by the way, 1.5C, was what our Minister of the Environment advocated at the recent COP21 climate talks.
We are now headed to 3.5C or higher. We are headed for global ecocide.
Rachel’s Climate Leadership Plan increases emissions this year, next year, and subsequent years. It is smoke and mirrors. As an environmental plan to address climate change, it is a sham.
If Rachel succeeds in building pipelines to tidewater, Mr Trudeau’s fervent wish, the world can abandon all hope of reaching the 1.C safe climate target.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Government has no credible climate plan. Lots of rhetoric, but no 1C target plan. No 1.5C target plan. No 2C target plan. No plan period.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley. Larry Wong/ Postmedia News
Notley suggest that building pipelines and protecting the environment are not mutually exclusive goals. Presto! (Alberta magic.) That’s her political stance. Hey, but what the hell!
Pamela Palmater, an associate professor who holds the chair in indigenous governance at Ryerson University, discusses the crisis in Attawapiskat and other First Nations communities.
By Charlie Smith, reposted from Straight, Apr 12, 2016
Watching the news yesterday, it would be easy to conclude that the Leap Manifesto was conceived by a bunch of naive youngsters who know nothing about how economies work.
The document calls for a rapid transition to an economy powered by renewable energy, much greater respect for indigenous peoples, dramatic improvements to public transit, a progressive carbon tax, higher resource royalties, financial-transaction taxes, and higher income taxes on corporations and wealthy people.
B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan declared that it didn’t reflect the values of British Columbians. Alberta NDP premier Rachel Notley was even harsher in her condemnation.
CBC TV commentator Rex Murphy characterized the authors of the Leap Manifesto as job killers. The dismissive tone of CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge and Postmedia columnist Andrew Coyne reinforced the notion that the Leap Manifesto was dreamed up by a bunch of crackpots.
They either chose to ignore or are ignorant of the renewable-energy revolution occurring around the world. In the case of Horgan, I don’t believe he’s unaware of what’s taking place in this sector.
What’s happening with renewable energy is akin to the change in telecommunications from landlines to cellphones. It’s occurring at an exponential rate because of lower costs.
“Canada’s solar industry has grown 100 times over the past decade,” Boyd told the Straight last year. “Canada’s wind industry is in the top 10 globally without any federal support. If there were actually federal programs to support those industries, we would be at the top of the leaderboard, and we would have less pollution as a country. We would have more green jobs. We would have a more sustainable economy and we would all be better off.”
This is what the Leap Manifesto authors are advocating: more jobs.
Author David Boyd (with daughter Meredith) believes renewable energy can save the planet. DAVY RIPPNER
Meanwhile, the Solar Foundation reported that its industry added 35,052 new jobs last year in the U.S. This was a 20 percent increase, bringing total employment in this area to 208,859 in 2015.
Think Progress’s Ryan Koronowski reported that the solar-installation sector employed 77 percent more people than the coal-mining industry.
In a 2015 report, the IEA forecast renewable energy to rise to 26 percent of global production by 2020, up from 22 percent in 2013.
“China alone will account for nearly 40% of total renewable power capacity growth and requires almost one-third of new investment to 2020,” the report states.
In an interview with the Straight last October, Flannery said that the pace of solar-power development has been “one of the great triumphs of the last 10 years”.
“For the last 30 years, cost reductions in solar have been on the order of 10 percent per annum. Constantly, year in and year out, for 30 years,” Flannery said. “I’m very excited about it. I think solar is going to be the future, especially when we have battery storage or some storage mechanism.”
Australia’s Tim Flannery has chronicled sharp decreases in the price of solar power
Harvard University science historian Naomi Oreskes recently told the Straight that focusing on the integration of electricity grids, feed-in tariffs, and demand-response pricing could ensure that all electricity in North America is produced from renewable sources.
If grids were better connected, it would offer the opportunity of hydroelectric power from B.C. or Quebec replacing coal-fired power in other provinces and some states. And she says that research has already demonstrated the feasibility of this happening.
“Imagine now that we have Mexico in the mix as well, and you’ve got all that fantastic solar capacity in the southwest United States and Mexico,” Oreskes said. “They’ve done the modelling to show that there is enough power between hydro, wind, and solar to fully power North America so long as you have grid integration to solve the intermittency problem. That’s actually a very exciting result because this technology already exists.”
Feed-in tariffs are payments to people who generate their own clean electricity, perhaps through photovoltaic panels or wind power. They feed it back into the grid and collect cash in return.
Demand-response pricing involves adjusting electricity prices depending on overall usage. This offers incentives to people to use power in off-peak periods.
After describing the nitty-gritty structural issues that are required to bring about big changes, Oreskes quipped, “My slogan is I can change my light bulbs but I can’t change my electricity grid.”
Oreskes, coauthor of Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming, was in Vancouver on April 5 to deliver the spring Wall Exchange lecture at the Vogue Theatre. It was sponsored by UBC’s Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies.
Harvard science historian Naomi Oreskes says grid integration is key to promoting renewables.
Flannery revealed in Atmosphere of Hope that former B.C. premier Gordon Campbell introduced a carbon tax after reading one of his earlier books, The Weather Makers.
Perhaps the time has come for Horgan, Notley, Mansbridge, and Coyne to delve into Atmosphere of Hope and The Optimistic Environmentalist and open their eyes to possibilities presented by the Leap Manifesto.
While they’re at it, they might also want to read “How We Can Afford The Leap?” by Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives researchers Bruce Campbell, Seth Klein, and Marc Lee.
Forget about Murphy: he’s been on the payroll of Canada’s fossil-fuel industry and has already demonstrated that he doesn’t believe what the climate scientists are saying. SOURCE
Justin Trudeau’s principal secretary, Gerald Butts (above), used to be president and CEO of WWF Canada.
By Charlie Smith, reposted from Straight, Apr 12, 2016
New Democrats continue tearing themselves apart over the Leap Manifesto.
The document written by climate activists proposes a carbon-free economy by 2050.
However, some might wonder where the Trudeau Liberals stand in light of a 2012 video featuring one of its kingpins.
Gerald Butts is principal secretary to the prime minister and perhaps Justin Trudeau’s most important adviser.
In 2012, Butts was president and CEO of the moderate environmental organization, WWF Canada, which opposes the Northern Gateway pipeline.
“Truth be told, we don’t think there ought to be a carbon-based energy industry by the middle of the century,” Butts said in the video. “That’s our policy in Canada and it’s our policy all over the world.”
You can see the video of Butts’s remarks below:
His comment about a carbon-free energy future reflected the viewpoint of Leap Manifesto advocates such as author Naomi Klein and her husband, documentary filmmaker Avi Lewis.
The Trudeau Liberals oppose the Northern Gateway pipeline, which would ship bitumen from Alberta to Kitimat for export on tankers to Asia.
Trudeau himself has spoken in favour of the Keystone XL pipeline, which has been kiboshed by the Obama administration.
Tugs assist a tanker at the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain terminal in Burnaby. JONATHAN HAYWARD / PNG
By Gordon Hoekstra, reposted from the VancouverSun, Apr 12, 2016
The Tsleil-Waututh Nation said Tuesday they have no intention of backing down in the face of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recently revealed support for Kinder Morgan’s $5.4-billion Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project.
The National Post reported Monday that the prime minister has told his senior lieutenants to draw up plans to make the Energy East pipeline and the Trans Mountain expansion a reality.
But during last fall’s election campaign, Trudeau had promised First Nations more say in natural resource development.
First Nations in B.C. have also become emboldened in pushing land rights after multiple court wins, including a historic Supreme Court of Canada decision in 2014 that granted the Tsilqhot’in title to 1,740 square kilometres of traditional territory in the Interior. The ruling pushed consultation obligations for the government to a higher threshold.
“From the very beginning, we have said we don’t see (the Kinder Morgan) project happening,” said Ruben George of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation.
“(Trudeau) can say what he wants, but we believe the Canadian constitution protects our indigenous rights. And we have been winning that right,” said George, who manages the Tsleil-Waututh’s initiative to oppose the Trans Mountain expansion.
He said as far as the Tsleil-Waututh are concerned there has been no substantial consultations with the federal government.
The Tsleil-Waututh have a case before the Federal Court which argues that the federal review is flawed and unlawful and puts Burrard Inlet and the people who live there at risk. The First Nation’s biggest concern centres on the effects of a possible oil spill.
There are other First Nations that have cited concerns over the Trans Mountain project, including the Musqueam and Squamish First Nations, but it is the Tsleil-Waututh who claim as traditional territory the area of Burrard Inlet, which is the terminus of the pipeline and where tankers are loaded.
During the 2015 election, Trudeau opposed tanker traffic on B.C.’s northwest coast, but has not said publicly whether he supports the Kinder Morgan project.
Trudeau has also talked about returning public trust to federal reviews, saying the existing system is broken and was designed to support the previous Conservative government’s objectives.
During Question Period in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Trudeau brushed off a query from interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose on whether he would approve Energy East and Trans Mountain if they are given the go-ahead by the National Energy Board.
He said the government has a fundamental role in getting resources to market, “but in the 21st century … (that) means doing it responsibly for communities, for indigenous peoples and for the environment.”
Kinder Morgan spokeswoman Ali Hounsell declined to comment on the latest political development, saying the company could not respond to unnamed sources stating Trudeau’s position.
Kinder Morgan wants to twin its existing 1,150-kilometre pipeline from the Alberta oilsands to its terminus at Burnaby. That will triple capacity and is meant to open up new markets in Asia and the U.S. for Canadian oil.
Kinder Morgan has said it will mitigate increased risks of oil spills by increasing tug escorts in inland ocean waters and beefing up spill-response capacity.
The City of Burnaby may not end up appealing a B.C. Supreme Court ruling around city bylaws that found in favour of Kinder Morgan and its Trans Mountain Pipeline project. Photograph By File
By Jeremy Deutsch, reposted from BurnabyNow, Apr 12, 2016
It was a case “destined” to make its way to Canada’s top court. Now, that may not be the case at all.
The City of Burnaby may not end up appealing a B.C. Supreme Court ruling around city bylaws that found in favour of Kinder Morgan and its Trans Mountain Pipeline project.
While Mayor Derek Corrigan said the city has prepared the necessary documents to maintain the appeal, he said the municipality will be watching closely a couple of cases expected to head to the Supreme Court of Canada later this year.
Burnaby’s case challenged whether federal jurisdiction for major projects, like pipelines, can overrule city laws.
The mayor said if there’s an indication the Supreme Court will interfere in federal powers when it comes to local governments, he said the city may advance its case to the B.C. Court of Appeal.
But if not, Corrigan said: “Then we’re in a situation where we’re not going to throw good money after bad. If I think there’s a chance we can be successful and advance the cause, I’ll go there. If not, I’ll move to the political means we’ve got.”
He said he still hopes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won’t approve the project, even if the National Energy Board does, suggesting he would face an “insurrection” within the Liberal Party and lose support in cities like Burnaby.
In the decision released in late November, a judge determined the National Energy Board was right by previously overruling Burnaby’s bylaw, which forbade the company from cutting trees while doing survey work in the Burnaby Mountain conservation area.
At the time, Corrigan said the fight against Kinder Morgan and the Trans Mountain Pipeline was destined to go all the way to Canada’s top court.
His tone was different when discussing the case with the NOW recently. Specifically, he said Burnaby is watching a City of Windsor case he described as being about a federally incorporated transportation carrier that refused to cooperate with the Ontario city’s bylaws. That case is expected to be before the Supreme Court before the end of the year.
“I don’t know if we’ll proceed to complete our hearing in the Court of Appeal if we don’t think it’s going to be successful or we have a reasonable chance of success,” he said. SOURCE
Decision on whether to grant Indian status could improve access to federal programs
Tanya Dubé, a director with the Canadian Metis Council, says many people have difficulty tracing their roots to historical Métis settlements because documents have been destroyed. (Submitted)
Thousands of people in the Maritimes who identify as Métis will find out on Thursday whether Canada’s highest court is going to grant them Indian status under the Constitution Act of 1867.
Such status would confer the right to collectively negotiate treaties and benefits with the federal government.
“This will finally end the quarrel about whose jurisdiction we’re under,” Tanya Dubé, a director with the Canadian Métis Council’s head office in Plaster Rock.
“If everything goes in our favour, it means that we get the full recognition we were supposed to get,” she said.
“This will oblige them (Ottawa) to sit down and start negotiating.”
The Supreme Court is scheduled to rule on the so-called Daniels case, which has taken 17 years to wend its way to a conclusion.
It was initiated by prominent Métis leader Harry Daniels, of Saskatchewan, who died in 2004, before the case went to trial in 2011.
‘It would improve situations where now people fall through the cracks.’- Jula Hughes, law professor
UNB law professor Jula Hughes says a favourable ruling on Thursday for Canada’s estimated 200,000 Métis and 400,000 non-status Indians could open up access to federal programs affecting schooling, child care, health benefits, culture, and language.
“It would get us out of a situation where, for any given person, there is a dispute between the federal government and the provincial government, as to who is responsible,” said Hughes.
“And it would improve situations where now people fall through the cracks.”
Genealogy records scarce
Some academics are also hoping the Supreme Court of Canada will help settle the controversy around the question of who is Métis.
One existing legal test, also called the Powley Test, sets out three criteria. The individual must:
Identify as a Métis person.
Be a member of a present-day Métis community.
Have ties to a historic Métis community.
Dubé says that hurts people, such as herself, who have difficulty tracing their roots to historical Métis settlements.
She says her Mohawk, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, French, English, Irish and Scottish ancestors moved across territories in Quebec, New Brunswick and Maine.
Sometimes, she says, her forebears were driven by seasons. Or, they were deported.
“Because of the [Acadian] expulsion, a lot of documents were destroyed,” said Dubé.
“Some of the church records toward Caraquet and that area, the churches had fires and the records were destroyed.”
Dubé says she knows people who spend years trying to uncover their genealogies.
Could be 1,000 Métis in New Brunswick
Still, she says, the Canadian Métis Council recognizes 500 members in its New Brunswick database.
However, she estimates the population of Métis in the province would be about 1,000.
On Thursday, she says she’ll be watching the Supreme Court of Canada’s web site, hoping for the best.
Hughes says she’ll be reading the decision as soon as it’s out.
“I don’t think Thursday’s decision will solve all the problems that are experienced by Indigenous people across the country.
“But I do have hope that the super-added burden that comes from being in the majority of living off-reserve and being non-status and being Métis and having none of the benefits of the Indian Act regime attached to you, that those additional burdens may get some additional alleviation.”
The original plaintiffs in the case were Harry Daniels; his son, Gabriel; Leah Gardner, a non-status Indian from Ontario; Terry Joudrey, a non-status Indian from Nova Scotia; and the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples.
The defendants were Her Majesty the Queen, as represented by the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development; and the Attorney General of Canada. SOURCE
