Wealthy Polluters Versus Democracy

The U.S. Administration will use soft power - through oil and gas corporate lobbying - to try and erode Canada's resolve and sovereignty. What has happened since in Venezuela mirrors that same approach: The U.S. has replaced Venezuela's leader (Nicolás Maduro) with a new leader (democracy not included) because the new leader, Delcy Rodríguez, is friendly with U.S. oil and gas interests. They built a relationship with her and directly recommended her as a replacement. Obviously Canada and Venezuela are not comparable governments, but the U.S. administration does not view Canada as different. To them we are both countries are to be annexed. The U.S. has now said it is open to using its military to conquer Greenland.

There is a low risk that our PM will be physically kidnapped and replaced by a more capitulant subordinate (for now). But pressure IS being put on our government by oil and gas interests to get it to stop resisting U.S. influence and to stop climate action which would help us become more independent. Oil and gas interests - tied to the U.S. - are framing themselves as acting in Canada's national interest when they are actually undermining it. The more naive corners of our government have largely bought into that framing.

If oil is developed further by Venezuela it would increase future oil oversupply in the global market, making a new west coast oil pipeline even less viable economically.

More likely though is that U.S. actions in Venezuela are ultimately about funnelling cash from U.S. taxpayers to oil and gas corporations as well as making the U.S. President and his friends richer in the short term, as The Guardian reports "Donald Trump has suggested US taxpayers could reimburse energy companies for repairing Venezuelan infrastructure for extracting and shipping oil."

All of this also helps oil and gas corporations keep up the false narrative that oil and gas demand will continue for decades, a narrative that helps them make as much profit as possible in the short term before demand fades (and collect taxpayer subsidies in the process). It's the appearance, not the reality, of future demand that matters to them which is why oil and gas interests are promoting contradictory stories about oil and gas expansion about Alberta and Venezuela: The stories might contradict PRACTICALLY - because there will NOT be enough demand to legitimize expansion in one place let alone both - but both stories support the FALSE NARRATIVE of demand growth.

• Find sources for today's episode and the above here: https://www.sierraclub.ca/venezuela-oil-trump-canada/
• Find past episodes of our Sovereignty Saturdays sub-series here: 
  • https://www.sierraclub.ca/no-kings-inequality-deregulation/
  • https://www.sierraclub.ca/middle-ground-appeal-radical/  
  • https://www.sierraclub.ca/west-coast-pipeline-sovereignty/ 
  • https://www.sierraclub.ca/canada-climate-movement-win/
  • https://www.sierraclub.ca/the-real-deep-state/
  • https://www.sierraclub.ca/oligarch_social_media_platforms/
  • https://www.sierraclub.ca/united-states-oligarchy-oil/
  • https://www.sierraclub.ca/sovereignty-democracy-canada-annexation/
• Call your MP and take action by calling for renewable solutions: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en

Support the show

Find out more and take action at sierraclub.ca/take-action/