Ottawa

From the Inkless Emailbox: Oh Nathan, you radical

This corner occasionally prints news releases from all political parties because it’s so fun to be labelled a shill for assorted political parties. If you’re bored, you can spend a few hours going through my archives to see whether I depart from rigorous aggregate impartiality! Complain to the Maclean’s ombudsman! If we ever get one!

Today I’m here to tell you what the Conservative Party thinks you should think about NDP leadership candidate Nathan Cullen. What follows is quoted verbatim and holus bolus: 

Today, Member of Parliament for Calgary Centre-North, Michelle Rempel, released the following statement regarding NDP Leadership Candidate Nathan Cullen’s appearance at a hearing for the Enbridge Joint Review Panel:

“The NDP is out of touch with the needs of ordinary Canadians. In its relentless battle against energy development and trade, it has turned its back on the hundreds of thousands of Canadians employed in the energy and mining sectors.

“It has also ignored the millions more who benefit from important social programs like health care, education and pensions that are funded by royalties and taxes paid by Canada’s resource companies.

“Our Government understands the critical importance of diversifying markets for our energy products and natural resources to create jobs and economic growth across Canada, including British Columbia. There is a projected $500 billion in investments in Canada’s natural resource sector in the next decade, with significant investment opportunities in BC.

“Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently concluded a mission to China where numerous agreements on air transportation, agriculture, energy, science and technology were signed. China is on the road to becoming the largest economy in the world and our Government, along with British Columbia, has invested billions to enable trade through the Asia-Pacific Gateway.

“Canada’s environmental regulatory system is one of the strongest in the world and by reducing its inefficiencies we will unleash Canada’s economic potential. An inefficient and duplicative regulatory system does not create better environmental outcomes, it merely delays investment in Canadian sustainable resource projects that will create tens of thousands of high quality jobs.

“Canadian labour unions know that future prosperity for Canadian families lies with the responsible development of our natural resources and that’s why they publicly support major energy infrastructure projects. They include the Canadian Building Trades, United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the U.S. & Canada, General International Union of Operating Engineers, Laborers’ International Union of North America, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International and the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

“Meanwhile, the NDP continues to oppose all of these job-creating projects and related trade initiatives.

“Our Government is committed to maintaining Canada’s standing as the best place for investment and economic growth. That positions British Columbia’s economy, as well as the Canadian economy, to fully participate in the world’s most dynamic growing markets.”

Me again. Wells. From Cullen’s website, here’s the section dealing with environmental policy. On the website’s splash page, Cullen calls himself one of the “radicals” who have so upset  the government. 

I draw your attention to this broadside for, I think, the same reason the Conservatives brought my attention to it: because it illustrates the point I tried to make in the last third of this piece about the terrain on which the next election will be fought. 

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