Ethical Oil: The Case for Canada's Oil Sands
Encyclopedia
Ethical Oil: The Case for Canada's Oil Sands is a book written by Canadian lawyer and political activist Ezra Levant
, which makes a case for exploiting the Athabasca oil sands
and its sister projects in Alberta
. Published in 2010 by McClelland & Stewart in Toronto
, Canada
, the book became a non-fiction best seller and won the National Business Book Award
for 2011.
In the 261 page book, Ezra Levant makes the case that in terms of four criteria (the environment, conflict, economic and social justice and freedom from oppression) the Canadian petroleum industry
is "heads above other crude producers like Saudi Arabia, Libya, Nigeria and Venezuela". Highlighting perceived hypocrisy from Western progressive
and environmental movement
s, the author confronts what he sees as unfair and excessive criticism of oil sands, stating that the "oil sands are not perfect, and criticizing them is fair game. But why has criticism of the oil sands been so disproportionately loud compared to criticism of other, larger, more disturbing sources of oil?".
Ethical Oil: The Case for Canada's Oil Sands has popularized the concept of "ethical oil" as a neologism, giving ammunition to the Conservative government of Stephen Harper
and providing the inspiration behind Alykhan Velshi
's "EthicalOil" campaign in the United States and Canada.
have a proven reserve of 170 Goilbbl, the second largest proven reserves of crude oil in the world. They have become the largest source of oil imported into the United States
. With significant economic development and investment into the oil sands, the industry has been enjoying strong support by both the province's government and the federal government. However, the industry has also been subject to criticism due to the environmental impacts of bitumen exploitation. While the industry has attempted to resolve these issues by developing new techniques, such as in situ extraction, environmental organizations, such as Greenpeace
, have launched campaigns to delegitimize the resource, based on its greenhouse gas emission records.
Canada's primary export market, the United States, has been ambivalent to the environmental questions surrounding the exploitation of the oil sands, with Republicans
being generally more supportive of the resource, while president Barack Obama
, a Democrat
, said that "there are some environmental questions about how destructive they are".
In an attempt to refocus the debate, Ezra Levant, a conservative political activist, former publisher of the Western Standard
and the host of The Source on Sun News Network, examines the ethical aspects of importing oil from countries where political oppression and human rights
violations are prevalent, and argues that oil sands production from Canada should be considered the only true ethical alternative to OPEC
oil exports. His inspiration for the concept of 'ethical oil' came from the neologism 'conflict diamond', and its antonym 'conflict-free diamond'. Levant decided to write the book to change some minds, after realizing at a 2009 writer's conference in Ottawa
that he was the "token Alberta whipping boy" during a panel on the oil sands, and ineffective at convincing the audience of the merits of the oil sands. Ezra Levant stated that he wrote the book from a liberal point of view, in order to appeal to those who reject the traditional conservative point of view.
, an epilogue
, acknowledgments and sources. Chapters deal with various topics, including an overview of the biggest oil producing countries, an account of the controversy over Talisman Energy
's involvement in Sudan
, a critical analysis of some ethical funds
, a case about inconsistencies in Greenpeace
activism, a rebuke of the cancer controversy in Fort Chipewyan
, the implication of Middle-Eastern regimes in the anti-Oil sands movement, and a critical analysis of the green job
s arguments.
A recurring theme throughout Ethical Oil: The Case for Canada's Oil Sands is the perceived hypocrisy of Western environmental movements. In a chapter entitled "Greenpeace's Best Fundraiser Ever", Levant notes the disparities between the harsh criticism of the Canadian energy industry coming from Greenpeace Canada to the seemingly absent criticism of Chinese industrial activity (such as nuclear power) from Greenpeace China
, arguing that it is much easier to criticize free and liberal democracies than to criticize controlling regimes, but also raising the question of funding, noting that China, the most populated country on Earth, is a very attractive fundraising market for Greenpeace (which Levant describes as a 'multinational corporation').
columnist, suggested that Levant "not only exposes the lies and hypocrisy of the media-coddled opponents of the vast resource, but raises the uncomfortable question of what alternatives to the oilsands these moralists prefer". On the other hand, David Suzuki
, dismissing Levant as an "apologist", argued that "the logic is faulty. Just because a country or society is considered 'ethical' does not mean everything it produces or exports is ethical". In the Winnipeg Free Press
, John Collins, a retired union negotiator, criticized some of Levant's sources, noting the presence of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
in the footnotes, while Patrick Brethour, an editor for The Globe and Mail
writing in the Literary Review of Canada
, contends that the title of Levant’s book "is a considerable misstatement" and that Levant "fails to make the case for ethical oil".
, which adopted the neologism in a similar rhetoric. Stephen Harper
, Prime Minister of Canada, was quoted as saying that it is "critical to develop that resource in a way that’s responsible and environmental and the reality for the United States, which is the biggest consumer of our petroleum products, is that Canada is a very ethical society and a safe source for the United States in comparison to other sources of energy." Danielle Smith
, leader of Alberta's Wildrose Alliance, echoed Levant's arguments during a speech at the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce.
In 2011, Alykhan Velshi
, a former staffer for Minister of Immigration Jason Kenney
, founded a website to promote the ideas put forward by Ezra Levant in his book. The website, EthicalOil.org, launched a campaign to compare Canada's 'Ethical Oil' against OPEC's 'Conflict Oil' and features controversial advertisements comparing conditions for women, gays and other minorities in OPEC countries to those in Canada. EthicalOil.org has staged counter-protests in response to opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline project.
, author of Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent (Greystone Books, 2008, ISBN 1553654072), who referred to Levant's reasoning as "a classic Republican
ruse", and dismissed Minister of the Environment Peter Kent
's argument as an "infomercial on bitumen". In The Guardian, Leo Hickman points out that China is a major investor in the Canadian oil sands, and asks "Shouldn't this now mean that Canada's tar sands are labelled as 'Conflict Oil', too?" Another opponent, Megan Leslie
, the environment critic for the Official Opposition's New Democratic Party, said the debate surrounding the ethics of Canadian oil sands "misses the point" and maintained that "Canada should be working to move beyond fossil fuels toward renewable sources of energy".
At a book signing event in Saskatoon
on 17 September 2010, police had to be called to defuse a verbal clash between demonstrators and Levant. Most of the demonstrators were gone before the police arrived, but Levant started his subsequent question and answer session by addressing a critic's question.
Ezra Levant
Ezra Isaac Levant is a Canadian lawyer, conservative political activist and media figure. He is the founder and former publisher of the Western Standard, hosts The Source daily on Sun News Network, and has written several books on politics....
, which makes a case for exploiting the Athabasca oil sands
Athabasca Oil Sands
The Athabasca oil sands are large deposits of bitumen, or extremely heavy crude oil, located in northeastern Alberta, Canada - roughly centred on the boomtown of Fort McMurray...
and its sister projects in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. Published in 2010 by McClelland & Stewart in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the book became a non-fiction best seller and won the National Business Book Award
National Business Book Award
The National Business Book Award is an award presented to Canadian business authors. The award, presented every year since 1985, is sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Bank of Montreal, and the Globe and Mail....
for 2011.
In the 261 page book, Ezra Levant makes the case that in terms of four criteria (the environment, conflict, economic and social justice and freedom from oppression) the Canadian petroleum industry
Petroleum industry
The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting , and marketing petroleum products. The largest volume products of the industry are fuel oil and gasoline...
is "heads above other crude producers like Saudi Arabia, Libya, Nigeria and Venezuela". Highlighting perceived hypocrisy from Western progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
and environmental movement
Environmental movement
The environmental movement, a term that includes the conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues....
s, the author confronts what he sees as unfair and excessive criticism of oil sands, stating that the "oil sands are not perfect, and criticizing them is fair game. But why has criticism of the oil sands been so disproportionately loud compared to criticism of other, larger, more disturbing sources of oil?".
Ethical Oil: The Case for Canada's Oil Sands has popularized the concept of "ethical oil" as a neologism, giving ammunition to the Conservative government of Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
and providing the inspiration behind Alykhan Velshi
Alykhan Velshi
Alykhan Velshi is a lawyer, policy analyst, and ministerial assistant. He has worked at the predominantly neoconservative American Enterprise Institute and was manager of research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, where he co-founded the Center for Law and Counterterrorism with...
's "EthicalOil" campaign in the United States and Canada.
Background
Oil sands in AlbertaHistory of the petroleum industry in Canada (oil sands and heavy oil)
Canada's oil sands and heavy oil resources are among the world's great petroleum deposits. They include the vast oil sands of northern Alberta, and the heavy oil reservoirs that surround the small city of Lloydminster, which sits on the border between Alberta and Saskatchewan...
have a proven reserve of 170 Goilbbl, the second largest proven reserves of crude oil in the world. They have become the largest source of oil imported into the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. With significant economic development and investment into the oil sands, the industry has been enjoying strong support by both the province's government and the federal government. However, the industry has also been subject to criticism due to the environmental impacts of bitumen exploitation. While the industry has attempted to resolve these issues by developing new techniques, such as in situ extraction, environmental organizations, such as Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
, have launched campaigns to delegitimize the resource, based on its greenhouse gas emission records.
Canada's primary export market, the United States, has been ambivalent to the environmental questions surrounding the exploitation of the oil sands, with Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
being generally more supportive of the resource, while president Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, said that "there are some environmental questions about how destructive they are".
In an attempt to refocus the debate, Ezra Levant, a conservative political activist, former publisher of the Western Standard
Western Standard
The Western Standard is a Calgary, Alberta-based libertarian-conservative publication that billed itself as Canada's only conservative national news magazine...
and the host of The Source on Sun News Network, examines the ethical aspects of importing oil from countries where political oppression and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
violations are prevalent, and argues that oil sands production from Canada should be considered the only true ethical alternative to OPEC
OPEC
OPEC is an intergovernmental organization of twelve developing countries made up of Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. OPEC has maintained its headquarters in Vienna since 1965, and hosts regular meetings...
oil exports. His inspiration for the concept of 'ethical oil' came from the neologism 'conflict diamond', and its antonym 'conflict-free diamond'. Levant decided to write the book to change some minds, after realizing at a 2009 writer's conference in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
that he was the "token Alberta whipping boy" during a panel on the oil sands, and ineffective at convincing the audience of the merits of the oil sands. Ezra Levant stated that he wrote the book from a liberal point of view, in order to appeal to those who reject the traditional conservative point of view.
Content
The book is divided into 12 chapters, with a prologuePrologue
A prologue is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information. The Greek prologos included the modern meaning of prologue, but was of wider significance...
, an epilogue
Epilogue
An epilogue, epilog or afterword is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work...
, acknowledgments and sources. Chapters deal with various topics, including an overview of the biggest oil producing countries, an account of the controversy over Talisman Energy
Talisman Energy
Talisman Energy Inc. is one of Canada's largest petroleum SB companies. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Talisman Energy has operations around the globe including: Canada and the United States of America in North America; Colombia and Peru in South America; Algeria in North Africa; United Kingdom,...
's involvement in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, a critical analysis of some ethical funds
Socially responsible investing
Socially responsible investing , also known as sustainable, socially conscious, or ethical investing, describes an investment strategy which seeks to consider both financial return and social good....
, a case about inconsistencies in Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
activism, a rebuke of the cancer controversy in Fort Chipewyan
Fort Chipewyan, Alberta
Fort Chipewyan, commonly referred to as Fort Chip, is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. It is located on the western tip of Lake Athabasca, adjacent to Wood Buffalo National Park, approximately north of Fort McMurray.Fort Chipewyan is one of...
, the implication of Middle-Eastern regimes in the anti-Oil sands movement, and a critical analysis of the green job
Green job
A green job, also called a green-collar job is, according to the United Nations Environment Program, "work in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development , administrative, and service activities that contribute substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality...
s arguments.
A recurring theme throughout Ethical Oil: The Case for Canada's Oil Sands is the perceived hypocrisy of Western environmental movements. In a chapter entitled "Greenpeace's Best Fundraiser Ever", Levant notes the disparities between the harsh criticism of the Canadian energy industry coming from Greenpeace Canada to the seemingly absent criticism of Chinese industrial activity (such as nuclear power) from Greenpeace China
Greenpeace China
Greenpeace East Asia is an office serving the East Asia region of the global environmental organization Greenpeace. It is one of the largest international NGOs in China.-History:Greenpeace East Asia's first China office was opened in Hong Kong in 1997...
, arguing that it is much easier to criticize free and liberal democracies than to criticize controlling regimes, but also raising the question of funding, noting that China, the most populated country on Earth, is a very attractive fundraising market for Greenpeace (which Levant describes as a 'multinational corporation').
Reviews
Andrew Brannan reviewed the book in the The Objective Standard, and noted that it provides a "barrage of evidence in moral defense of the oil sands producers", while Peter Foster, a Financial PostFinancial Post
The Financial Post was an English Canadian business newspaper, which published from 1907 to 1998. In 1998, the publication was folded into the new National Post, although the name Financial Post has been retained as the banner for that paper's business section and also lives on in the Post’s...
columnist, suggested that Levant "not only exposes the lies and hypocrisy of the media-coddled opponents of the vast resource, but raises the uncomfortable question of what alternatives to the oilsands these moralists prefer". On the other hand, David Suzuki
David Suzuki
David Suzuki, CC, OBC is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a Ph.D in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department of the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001...
, dismissing Levant as an "apologist", argued that "the logic is faulty. Just because a country or society is considered 'ethical' does not mean everything it produces or exports is ethical". In the Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
, John Collins, a retired union negotiator, criticized some of Levant's sources, noting the presence of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers is the voice of the upstream Canadian oil and natural gas industry. The members of CAPP produce 90% of the petroleum production in Canada.-Background:...
in the footnotes, while Patrick Brethour, an editor for The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
writing in the Literary Review of Canada
Literary Review of Canada
The Literary Review of Canada is a Canadian magazine that publishes ten times a year. The magazine publishes essays and reviews of books on political, cultural and social topics, as well as Canadian poetry...
, contends that the title of Levant’s book "is a considerable misstatement" and that Levant "fails to make the case for ethical oil".
Support
Ezra Levant's work gave ammunition to the Conservative governmentConservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
, which adopted the neologism in a similar rhetoric. Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
, Prime Minister of Canada, was quoted as saying that it is "critical to develop that resource in a way that’s responsible and environmental and the reality for the United States, which is the biggest consumer of our petroleum products, is that Canada is a very ethical society and a safe source for the United States in comparison to other sources of energy." Danielle Smith
Danielle Smith
Danielle Molles Smith is one of five martial artists who developed the women's self-defense system known as "Model Mugging" and is the current head teacher dojo cho of Aikido of Monterey in California."...
, leader of Alberta's Wildrose Alliance, echoed Levant's arguments during a speech at the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce.
In 2011, Alykhan Velshi
Alykhan Velshi
Alykhan Velshi is a lawyer, policy analyst, and ministerial assistant. He has worked at the predominantly neoconservative American Enterprise Institute and was manager of research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, where he co-founded the Center for Law and Counterterrorism with...
, a former staffer for Minister of Immigration Jason Kenney
Jason Kenney
Jason T. Kenney, PC, MP is Canada's current Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. He has represented the riding of Calgary Southeast in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997....
, founded a website to promote the ideas put forward by Ezra Levant in his book. The website, EthicalOil.org, launched a campaign to compare Canada's 'Ethical Oil' against OPEC's 'Conflict Oil' and features controversial advertisements comparing conditions for women, gays and other minorities in OPEC countries to those in Canada. EthicalOil.org has staged counter-protests in response to opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline project.
Criticism
Among critics of the 'Ethical Oil' point of view is Andrew NikiforukAndrew Nikiforuk
Andrew Nikiforuk is a Canadian journalist who has won multiple National Magazine Awards. His work has appeared in Saturday Night, Maclean’s, Canadian Business, Report on Business, Chatelaine, Alberta Views, Equinox, and Canadian Family and in both national newspapers...
, author of Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent (Greystone Books, 2008, ISBN 1553654072), who referred to Levant's reasoning as "a classic Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
ruse", and dismissed Minister of the Environment Peter Kent
Peter Kent
Peter Kent, PC, MP is a Conservative member of parliament for the riding of Thornhill, and the current Minister of the Environment in the 28th Canadian Ministry.Previously, he was Deputy Editor of Global Television, a Canadian TV network...
's argument as an "infomercial on bitumen". In The Guardian, Leo Hickman points out that China is a major investor in the Canadian oil sands, and asks "Shouldn't this now mean that Canada's tar sands are labelled as 'Conflict Oil', too?" Another opponent, Megan Leslie
Megan Leslie
Megan Leslie is a Canadian politician, who has been the federal Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Halifax since the 2008 Canadian federal election. She is a member of the New Democratic Party and serves as the NDP critic for the environment...
, the environment critic for the Official Opposition's New Democratic Party, said the debate surrounding the ethics of Canadian oil sands "misses the point" and maintained that "Canada should be working to move beyond fossil fuels toward renewable sources of energy".
At a book signing event in Saskatoon
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
on 17 September 2010, police had to be called to defuse a verbal clash between demonstrators and Levant. Most of the demonstrators were gone before the police arrived, but Levant started his subsequent question and answer session by addressing a critic's question.