Dave Collyer, the president of the 91原创 Association of Petroleum Producers, seems not to be a fan of Neil Young.
He and other captains of the energy industry were expending a lot of their own energy last week dumping all over the aging rocker for daring to dump all over the oilsands. Governments, too, joined the chorus: Prime Minister Stephen Harper, through a spokesman, said the energy sector is 鈥渁 fundamental part of our country鈥檚 economy,鈥� a comment that was neither revelatory nor relevant to what Young was going on about.
Perhaps his likening the ravaged landscape to what was left of Hiroshima after the bomb went too far and gave offence 鈥� as it was calculated to do. But the main issue, as he sees it, is that treaties with the Athabasca Chipewyan Nation are being broken and that the natural resources that it has rights to under those treaties are being plundered.
He鈥檚 giving a series of benefit concerts across Canada to raise money for the Athabasca Chipewyans鈥� legal fight against a fundamental part of the economy of a country that moved in on them and which they believe is jeopardizing their health and way of life. He鈥檚 in Calgary today.
Collyer, in a Globe and Mail piece on Thursday, cavilled at 鈥渋nflammatory rhetoric from rock stars鈥� as unhelpful in reaching an understanding of 鈥渢he importance, value and challenges of oilsands development and the industry鈥檚 relationship with Canada鈥檚 First Nations and other aboriginal peoples.鈥�
He said that aboriginal-owned businesses make $1.3 billion from selling goods and providing services to oil-sands companies. He reported that more than 1,700 aboriginals have jobs in the oil sands.
These kinds of 鈥渟ubstantive relationships鈥� are undermined, Collyer argued, by 鈥渙ff-oil rhetoric鈥� that fosters conflict and division.
Aboriginal issues 鈥� he mentioned land claims, education, culture and economic opportunities 鈥� must be dealt with 鈥渋f Canada is to have timely access to markets for its energy production, timely action that benefits all 91原创s.鈥�
So, access to markets must be 鈥渢imely鈥� because production is unstoppable. Collyer makes it sound as if the stuff is gushing out of wells. It鈥檚 not. It has to be scraped out, teased and squeezed from the sands, leaving them looking like, well, Hiroshima after the bomb.
And 鈥渙ff-oil rhetoric鈥� can鈥檛 be tolerated because, as we know, nothing can, nothing must, supplant oil 鈥� or oil鈥檚 sticky cousin, bitumen, now that the price is right. The stuff powers our engines and lets us enjoy the comforts and conveniences that we鈥檝e come to take for granted.
Talk of wind and solar energy sources is just hot air. It wastes time, and time is of the essence, just in case some rogue comes up with a way of making it profitable to switch.
Foreign Minister John Baird was whistling from Collyer鈥檚 songbook in Washington last week. He told businessmen that it鈥檚 time for a decision by the Obama administration on the Keystone pipeline proposal to carry Alberta bitumen into the U.S. 鈥渆ven if it鈥檚 not the right one.鈥�
Oak Bay-Gordon Head MLA Andrew Weaver was on the same stage as Young when the old rocker gave his rant last Sunday in Toronto. I thought he looked a little uncomfortable, as a climate scientist might at this sort of event, but he, too, will have annoyed the petroleum club by his off-oil remarks.
He said the federal government has to take the lead in developing renewable energy by unleashing 鈥渉ome grown鈥� 91原创 innovation.
This innovation has produced a distinctive screwdriver, electronic apps and new varieties of junk food, but seems unable to apply itself to issues that are more pressing, such as climate change.
Collyer said his industry welcomes new ideas to 鈥渋mprove our performance,鈥� but seems to be like so many for whom 鈥渟ustainability鈥� means being able to carry on doing whatever they鈥檙e doing without interference from government, environmental activists, aging rockers or, probably, aged columnists.
It galls when they talk as if they鈥檙e providing a public service.
