Justin Trudeau accuses Stephen Harper of failing to make the case for the Keystone XL pipeline

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      Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has claimed that opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline is not rooted in science.

      "It's political," Trudeau told reporters outside the Pink Pearl Chinese Restaurant in Vancouver. "And it is a failing of our prime minister to actually make a proper case for the Keystone XL pipeline by demonstrating that you cannot separate economy and environment."

      Trudeau made the remarks after the U.S. State Department released a report saying it has no major environmental objections to the proposed 1,897-kilometre crude-oil pipeline between Hardisty, Alberta, and Steele City, Nebraska.

      Calgary-based TransCanada Corporation is seeking approval to develop the $7-billion project in the face of intense opposition from environmentalists.

      "The State Department's decision today simply highlights that this is Mr. Harper's political failure—and not a scientific or substance failure," Trudeau said.

      He also said: "The decision by the State Department really highlights that the opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline in the United States and elsewhere is not scientific."

      Meanwhile, Greenpeace Canada's climate and energy campaigner, Mike Hudema, has characterized the State Department report as a "flawed analysis".

      "You can’t build a massive new pipeline and the tar-sands mines to fill it without making climate change worse," Hudema said in a statement issued by Greenpeace Canada. "If President Barrack [sic] Obama truly wants to be able to tell his kids he did everything he could to combat climate change, then he must reject this pipeline because it is a fuse to one of the largest carbon bombs on the planet.”

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      14 Comments

      kiskatinawkid

      Jan 31, 2014 at 6:53pm

      Trudeau the younger has proven beyond any doubt that he's just another sell out and to put it mildly, a bit of a moron. Definitely not his old man.
      Are there no politicos with "leadership" ambitions in this country that aren't a complete waste of time? The last one that was successful, you know...the fascist currently at 24 Sussex is a case in point.

      Sandra

      Feb 1, 2014 at 9:38am

      "The decision by the State Department really highlights that the opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline in the United States and elsewhere is not scientific."???? Seriously??? Independent science is the only science that matters. JT should cite his independent scientific sources to support his claim. The more Trudeau opens his mouth the more he sounds like Harper. I'm paying careful attention to Mulcair and Ms. May... and I'm still firmly on the fence.

      boris moris

      Feb 1, 2014 at 9:38am

      I really want to believe that JT isn't a sellout to the oil industry and that his support for KXL is all about getting enough votes in order to jettison the worst government in Canada's history. Could it be that his statement about not being able to separate the economy from the environment is actually a subtle way of saying that unless there are some major changes in how the tar sands are extracted then KXL is a moot point and if he were elected PM then restored environmental oversight would force the tar sands miners to clean up their act? Yeah, I know, it's a stretch.

      The bottom line is that we can't really respect JT or Mulcair, and their parties, until they form a coalition that would forever turn the criminally incompetent and corrupt CPC into a permanent t(h)ird party.

      Ben Sili

      Feb 1, 2014 at 10:20am

      From Trudeau, whose media friends are campaigning against the KXL even in the NYT columns, and for Charlie to condone Trudeau's lament is truly one of the most hypocritical statements of the year! Good one guys.

      blah

      Feb 1, 2014 at 12:46pm

      Doesn't matter anyway. The U.S. is now the top oil producing nation in the world. They don't need the tarsands oil. Looks like too much dithering by Canada has left us with a large resource but no market. Wait, there's China... And Trudeau is so behind the times it's ridiculous.

      Charlie Smith

      Feb 1, 2014 at 1:46pm

      Ben Sili,
      I'm mystified by your comment that I have somehow condoned his lament. I merely reported what he said, which is of interest to our readers.

      Charlie Smith

      Rudy Haugeneder

      Feb 2, 2014 at 9:40am

      Justin Trudeau is no Trudeau. His dead brother and his dead dad understood the environment, loved it, and would do whatever was/is required to protect it. At least is dead brother would have. Justin is just a political power seeking pig lobbying for corporate lobby money.
      If you care, Vote Green Party. If not, vote Trudeau, Harper, NDP, etc.

      DON

      Feb 2, 2014 at 11:03pm

      Its staring us Canadians right in the eye to vote any party but green will be the end of Canada well at least to our breathing without masks. As much as people wanted Trudeau to be everything Harper is not it appears hes just like Harper, and besides that the only true experience he has is from what other politicians tell him he is not prime minster materiel not in the least. Our problem is we are becoming to much like the US with this 2 party only voting, where as we have a choice so lets give the Party we have not yet tried a chance what could possibly be worse? Conservative liberals tearing our country to pieces leaving nothing for our children and theirs . We have this one shot and another 45 yrs of more of the same and our families will have nothing this world is already being torn apart besides that I'm sick of drinking chemicals in my drinking water. even my laundry smells of chemicals imagine that? right through the tide and downy one can still smell the chemicals..

      Bela Bugliosi

      Feb 3, 2014 at 9:16am

      "Its staring us Canadians right in the eye to vote any party but green will be the end of Canada..."

      Vote Green? You want us to vote for the party that has kept earth rapers in power in BC for the last 13 years. When the Mike Duffy scandal broke, Elizabeth May wrote on her blog that she was surprised to learn that Duffy was a partisan Con when he was appointed to the senate. Duffy was a Mulroney loyalist since the 1980s and this was never a secret in Ottawa. Greens are total bozos in the political realm. They should exit politics and regroup as an advocacy organization. The public might then have some respect for them.

      The chemicals you're smelling, DON, are in your Tide and Downey. What kind of Green supporter uses mass market chemical detergents when safe citrus based product is available? Answer: A typical shit for brains Greeny