Letter: Laxer report shines light on foreign-owned oil companies

By Letter to the Editor on January 4, 2022.

Dear editor,

On Dec. 8, the Council of Canadians, along with Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives (B.C. & Saskatchewan), released a report authored by University of Alberta political economist Gordon Laxer, “Posing as Canadian: How Big Foreign Oil captures energy and climate policy”. In it he states, “Alberta’s recent public (Allan) inquiry into ‘anti-Alberta energy campaigns’ targeted a molehill and missed the Rockies.”

Taxpayers will remember that the UCP government spent $3.5 million to try to demonize individuals and organizations exercising their free speech. Journalist Graeme Thomson described the report as “a dud masquerading as fireworks.” Laxer’s report shows that if the Kenney government is worried about foreign influence over domestic policy, he really should be forthcoming about the real influencers in our affairs, Big Foreign Oil. Laxer shows us “Oil corporations in Alberta and Canada are overwhelmingly foreign-owned” and they “hinder climate action in Canada by capturing and controlling the lion’s share of the industry, policy-making, and profits.” Readers will have heard of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers which is the main lobby group for the oil and gas industry. Laxer’s report shows us there is not much “Canadian-ness” in Calgary’s oil patch or CAPP – 77 per cent of CAPP’s board is fully or majority foreign-owned. “97 per cent of the oil produced by corporations on CAPP’s board came from fully or majority foreign-owned corporations. Laxer shows us that they influence policy by (1) funding front groups to show public support for oil and gas extraction, (2) get out the “energy” vote, (3) demonize opponents as “un-Canadian” and (4) lobby governments to eliminate regulation. I urge people to read the report at https://canadians.org/BigForeignOil#report.

The power of BFO “has served as the single greatest barrier to effective climate action in Canada.” Laxer suggests “if the Alberta government is truly concerned about how foreign money is unduly influencing our domestic affairs, it ought to shine a spotlight on wealthy foreign-owned oil corporations instead of portraying Canadian environmentalists as traitors.”

David Condon, Medicine Hat Chapter, Council of Canadians

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