Canada’s new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has now faced one of the first setbacks to his plans for the Canadian oil industry, a rejection of TransCanada’s Keystone XL Pipeline by U.S. president Barack Obama. On November 6th, the Obama administration rejected the proposed pipeline in part due to concerns over the environmental impact of “dirtier crude oil” from Canada, a nation that has historically prided itself in strong environmental policy but also a vibrant oil industry. For Justin Trudeau, this revelation may be a blessing in disguise.
Over this last election, Mr. Trudeau has consistently stressed the need to reform Canada’s environmental initiatives while criticizing the Harper government for a lack of leadership in reducing carbon emissions and Canada’s environmental impact. At the same time Trudeau had made public statements in support of the pipeline project, a decision that was considered questionable by much of the liberal voter base, but allowed the concept of a liberal government to be more palatable for voters in Alberta. This seemingly contradictory position had put Mr. Trudeau in a rock and a hard place: follow through with the pipeline proposal and appear to be colluding with Canada’s infamous tar sands industry while alienating more environmentally minded liberals, or reject the proposal and risk alienating the largest sector of Canadian industry.
However, an outspoken rejection of the project by the United States government removes culpability for either decision from Mr. Trudeau. With the decision being made outside of his power, Trudeau now can focus on the up coming Paris Climate Conference with out the a recent approval of a pipeline hanging over discussion. So while he may state publicly that “We are disappointed by the decision”, Trudeau can breathe easy.
References
Article: http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/trudeau-disappointed-in-obamas-decision-to-axe-keystone-but-says-link-to-u-s-larger-than-one-project
Image 1: http://www.newyorker.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Keehn-Is-Canada-Still-Nice1-1200.jpg
Image 2: http://cponline.thecanadianpress.com/graphics/2014/static/cp-keystone-pipeline.jpg
