One of Prime Minister Trudeau’s key election promises was to repair the flawed, discredited National Energy Board approval process for new pipelines and fossil fuel infrastructure. But the PM just stacked the committee tasked with the job with a Who’s Who of Big Oil.
Three out of the five members, including both co-chairs, have deep connections with TransCanada, Enbridge and Kinder Morgan. One co-chair, Gary Merasty, is the director of the Canada West Foundation -- a pro-corporate think tank that wants to see privatized health care in Canada and has been a major advocate for Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline.
The purpose of the NEB is to serve the public interest -- not Big Oil. But with the committee already rigged in the Tar Sands' favour, it’s unlikely we’ll see the kind of action we need to not only restore trust in a broken process, but to make the tough decisions that will save our climate.
Tell Trudeau to appoint Canadians who care about the climate, not profit, to reform the NEB.
These are desperate times for the environment. The United States just elected a president who is on record stating that climate change is a hoax perpetuated by China. He wants to re-open the Keystone XL pipeline that starts in Alberta. We need a strong, people and climate-first regulatory board that can stand up not just to Big Oil, but to a U.S. facing an uncertain and alarming future.
Make no mistake: it is concerned Canadians and SumOfUs members who shone a light on the dysfunctional and flawed NEB approval process. It was us who made its reform an election issue and it was us who pushed Trudeau to adopt this policy plank. Now it’s our job to hold him to that -- and to make sure he doesn’t wriggle out with another version of the status quo -- or worse.
Join us and demand that Trudeau honours his promise and makes real reforms to the NEB!
More information
Liberals name 5-person panel to help reform National Energy Board
CBC. 8 November 2016.
CBC. 8 November 2016.
NEB Reform: 3 of the 5 members close to the pipeline industry [French article]
Le Devoir. 9 November 2016.
Le Devoir. 9 November 2016.