Mercifully, Minister of Natural Resources Jim Carr was not in Washington when Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. does not need any more Canadian pipelines. The thing is, unlike Justin Trudeau’s in-laws, Carr did not result in the cut for that official visit with the Pm, even though the U.S. trades more resources with Canada than every other country on the planet undoubtedly. That’s no real surprise, since energy was a forbidden subject forwards and backwards leaders, absorbed as they apparently are with global warming.
I say apparently, because America recently had become the largest producer of oil in the world because of the fracking revolution. (Remember fracking? That’s the wealth-creating technology that several “have not” provinces imposed a moratorium on within their jurisdictions, however i digress.) Furthermore, the president recently lifted a 40-year ban on exports of domestic oil. So when you see President Obama smiling, it might relate to the incredible development in oil production in the country.
Any observer with a semblance of objectivity would agree that Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline involved domestic politics, symbolism and the need to burnish a green legacy over the jobs, economic growth and national security the pipeline would have promoted.
Still, for that secretary of state to double down and cite the pipelines Americans have built as a reason to reject Canadian pipelines is unusually brazen. “We’ve got some 300 pipelines, it’s not as if we’re pipeline-less,” he told the CBC a week ago. So not only is Keystone dead, but not one other pipeline from Canada is welcome. Discuss chutzpah. Canadian oil has been crucial for his country’s economy and remains. However he’s erecting a political wall to block more oil pipelines, although trains and trucks are welcome, regardless of their cargo. Kerry expresses worry about global warming, yet their own State Department said building Keystone would be less risky and produce fewer emissions compared to alternative, which is rail.
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Why would Kerry suddenly declare this once the prime minister is in town on an official visit? Well, Keystone was publicly rejected only month after the Liberal government was sworn in, so the Federal government is not too fussed about our new government’s feelings. Trudeau was not about to react to another slap in the face of Canada’s national interest. Just pass the canaps and pose for an additional selfie.
The honour of an official visit for any prime minister at work less than five months is similar to the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Barack Obama, based on nominations that closed 12 days after he became president. Even though the process took another year, lots of people felt it was awarded as an inducement for future behaviour – to inspire him to complete the things the Nobel Committee considered worthy of the prize. Trudeau’s invitation towards the White House was partly about sending a similar message: Keep smiling and go along to get along. It was also an award to be another “progressive” who talks the talk on climate, as well as an opportunity for obama to use their joint press conference to hammer the Republican Party and its leading candidate.
When he was pm, Stephen Harper hosted Obama in Ottawa for the president’s first foreign trip, and during almost ten years of Conservative government our countries had very close bilateral working relationships at every level. So one must ask why Obama didn’t reciprocate and invite Harper to Washington. Perhaps Harper’s support for Keystone would be a factor. After the State Department, with primary regulatory responsibility, effectively agreed with Harper around the facts and also the science of Keystone, the official visit may have become too uncomfortable for that president. Sometimes, there is a price for publicly defending Canada’s interests.
Kerry’s remarks may not result in a media storm, any more than Trudeau’s observation that Americans should be more conscious of what’s going on on the planet. A Washington honeymoon was no place for uncomfortable questions. However the Liberals cannot avoid a harsh reality: Kerry slammed the door shut on new Canadian pipelines into the U.S. Hope for a change in direction from the new administration may prove elusive. Most polls indicate Mr . trump won’t win the presidency. Hillary Clinton, who had supported Keystone, has become opposed. And regardless, the American marketplace is not keeping up with our increasing production. That adds urgency to approve pipelines to ship our resources to Eastern Canada and foreign markets.
Jim Carr continues to be waiting in Ottawa for the unrequited love-in to finish and the partygoers to come back. Now the real work should start. I’m rooting for that cabinet underdog. Hope springs eternal.
Joe Oliver may be the former minister of finance and former minister of natural resources.
