Is Canada Tarring Itself?

The New York Times reports on the fundamental change Canada has undertaken since 2008. What was once thought of, as Canada being the more environmentally savvy neighbor to our North is no more. Instead, the election of Stephen Harper and his goals of Canada becoming an “economic superpower” have allowed tar sands to push the national agenda and effectively have weakened over 70 Canadian environmental laws. This push by Canadian oil has heavily influenced the Keystone XL pipeline debate here in the US to the point that the Canadian government set aside in the 2013-14 budget almost $22 million for promotion of tar sands lobbying outside of Canada. In the end, the measures taken by Canada are substantially affecting not only the rest of the world but their own provinces as well.