Collectively, NDP MLA’s, MP’s, and ardent supporters all have made it clear on their position towards the Canadian petroleum industry. Resoundingly, the industry, to this cohort of the population ultimately represents a zero sum game whereby oilsand (tarsand in their words), and pipeline development means imminent catastrophe.
In the twittersphere, The NDP make no bones about their stance on oil and gas in Canada.
NDP MP Dennis Bevington expressed his misunderstanding on Twitter by claiming that pipelines cannot be turned off.
@CPAC_TV thing about oil pipelines that is different than railcars is they can’t be turned off.
— Dennis Bevington (@nwtdennis) March 4, 2015
Linda McQuaig, a well-known author, journalist and star NDP MP candidate (according to Thomas Mulcair), was quoted as saying during a CBC television panel discussion on Friday that “a lot of the oilsands oil may have to stay in the ground” if Canada is to meet its climate change targets. McQuaig has also had a history of supporting ruthless dictators such as Hugo Chavez claiming upon his death that “for those concerned with social justice, Chavez’s passing is a sad milestone. It will surely be a while before we’ll see such a feisty mix of Robin Hood, Che Guevara and Michael Bublé straddling the world stage.”
Other NDP’s such as Cypress Hills – Grasslands MP candidate Trevor Peterson have expressed strong distaste for what he calls the ‘tarsands’ preferring to see them landlocked.
NDP candidate @Trevor_Peterson deleted his anti-oil sands tweet…thankfully we saved a copy of it #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/8hxqnRv4kh
— Manning Centre (@manningcentre) August 10, 2015
Sheila Malcolmson, the incumbent NDP MP from Nanaimo-Ladysmith has gone as far as calling oil indsutry advocates as “fossil fools” (#fossilfools)
Vancouver-Quadra NDP MP Candidate Scott Andrews is equally as anti-oilsands:
Myrna Clark, the NDP candidate from Barrie-Innisfail, suggested writing a letter to Obama in protest of Canadian tar and pipelines:
What can we do? Write to Obama and have him tell Harper "we don't need your dirty tar and nasty pipelines"? http://t.co/ygRRedDpCj
— Myrna Clark NDP (@MyrnaClarkNDP) December 8, 2013
Rachel Notley has also not been shy in arbitrarily opposing certain pipeline projects for political maneuvering. Recently she was quoted as saying “Gateway is not the right decision. I think that there’s just too much environmental sensitivity there and I think there’s a genuine concern by the indigenous communities,’ she said. ‘It’s not going to go ahead. I think most people know that.” Yet, Notley said, however “that the NDP is interested in both the proposed expansion of Kinder Morgan’s TransMountain line to Vancouver and the proposed Energy East pipeline to Atlantic Canada.”
What is striking is Notley’s tone. Notley notes that the Alberta NDP is interested in the proposed expansion of TransMountain and Energy East. It must be extremely frustrating for Canadian businesses like oil and gas midstream companies to do business, bear all of the capital risk, and rely on market indicators when knowing that in Canada, governments on the left seem to think that it is up to themselves to decide how resources are allocated.
There has surprisingly been no internal opposition from the Alberta NDP on what many federal NDP MP’s have been advocating for against the oil and gas industry. Surely, one would think that Notley doesn’t agree with the potential collapse of Alberta’s economy should many of the Federal MP’s get their way?