Government is too close to oil industry

September 26, 2011

Alberta’s NDP Opposition leader Brian Mason released a letter today showing the Alberta government is too close to industry when making decisions affecting Albertans.

“When the PCs talk oil and gas, they only talk to CAPP,” said Mason, referring to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, the authors of the letter released today. “The public interest can’t be represented when the public is not at the table.”

The August 24 letter from CAPP shows the close ties government invited when it asked CAPP exclusively to help shape fracking policy. It’s a new technology that’s raised concern around the world, prompting studies by a number of governments.

The PCs' reaction has been to circle wagons with CAPP and draft a communications plan to quash opposition to fracking, without further study.

“The PCs wrongly assume that the interests of CAPP are the interests of the broad public. They treat the public as a problem to be managed instead of a resource owner that must be consulted and respected,” Mason says.

An NDP government would take an objective, arms-length approach to relations with the oil industry and invite a broad swath of stakeholders to establish energy policy.

“What’s good for CAPP isn’t always good for Albertans, who own the resource. Government must take an objective view to get what Albertans want from their resources,” Mason says.

The letter can be found here: http://www.capp.ca/getdoc.aspx?DocId=194771&DT=NTV