It looks like Canada may be on the brink of entering the twilight zone.
A stunning "intelligence assessment" by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police recently made public contains some shocking statements about what that force views as a dramatic threat within Canada’s borders and beyond. What's the problem? Well, the Mounties are alarmed about a “highly organized and well-financed” movement in Canada that, they believe, could “jeopardize the health and safety of its participants, the general public, and the natural environment.”
Sounds dangerous, right? Maybe cancel that trip to Vancouver? Don’t. The fact is, that language isn’t being used to refer to an international terrorist group or a racist militia, but people like you and me. In fact, the report in question is about a so-called “anti-Canada petroleum movement.” Or, as we like to call it, people who don’t want to see ancient forests destroyed so the dirtiest oil on the planet can be dug up and burned.
A proposed anti-terror bill in Canada -- C-51 -- effectively labels any action that opposes so-called "critical infrastructure" or "interferes with the economic or financial stability of Canada" as "activity that undermines the security of Canada." Under that definition, if you peacefully oppose a particular pipeline, voila! You are now thrown into the same league as violent anti-government terrorists.
It's an absurd categorization that doesn’t pass the laugh test. After all, climate activists, public health champions, and First Nations voices across Canada and the U.S. who oppose the dirty Keystone XL pipeline and the expansion of toxic tar sands extraction are doing so specifically because they care about protecting their friends, their neighbors, their communities -- and their kids and future generations. They've seen firsthand what happens when polluters are allowed to run wild in the tar sands, from skyrocketing cancer rates to higher incidences of leukemia in nearby communities. They've seen how destructive tar sands pipeline leaks and oil train derailments can be to waterways, homes, and farms. They know about the extreme weather tragedies spurred by the climate crisis, fuelled by dangerous emissions from sources like burning tar sands. That's why they're standing up to big polluters in the oil industry and demanding clean energy solutions.
Speaking of clean energy, it's hard to make the argument that climate activists are undermining the economy while they are pushing clean energy sources that create three times as many jobs as fossil fuels.
Of course, logic plays no role in the alternate reality where governments become the agents of the fossil fuel industry. The twilight zone mentality that has befallen the Canadian government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper is on the verge of putting the needs of oil companies ahead of the rights of its own citizens. It's a scary proposition, a red flag for doing business with the Harper government, and one more reason why President Obama should stand with the people and not the polluters by saying "no" to Keystone XL.
-- Marc Weiss, Volunteer Lead, Sierra Club Tar Sands Campaign