A B.C. environmentalist claims in a sworn affidavit the Harper government labelled him and his organization, ForestEthics, an "enemy of the government of Canada" and an "enemy of the people of Canada" and threatened to pull the charitable status of its funder, the Tides Canada Foundation, because of ForestEthics' opposition to the Northern Gateway pipeline and tanker project exporting tarsands oil to China.

Tides Canada is a major social-policy and environmental organization tackling poverty, climate change and social justice issues. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is a former board member.

After his affidavit went public, Andrew Frank was fired as senior communications officer for ForestEthics, one of the nearly 40 environmental organizations Tides Canada supports.

Three days after Frank's affidavit and letter went online, his colleague, ForestEthics co-founder Valerie Langer, issued this statement:... Read more »

The Harper government says it doesn’t want foreign influence on opposition to a proposed oil pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast. The PM and his Environment Minister, Joe Oliver, say American radicals are funneling money into Canadian environmental branches to unfairly challenge the project at National Energy Board hearings that began Tuesday.

Canada pursues trade agreements with countries the world over, allowing foreign interests a say in how we do business. Northern Ontarians are familiar with the success of the American lumber lobby in thwarting forest product sales from this region.

Canada allows foreign interests to take over Canadian companies. In the case of Electro-Motive, after loaning millions to facilitate the takeover, Canada sits mute while U.S. owner Caterpillar locks out workers in London, Ont., while apparently preparing to move the operation to a U.S. plant.
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Imperial Oil, a sponsor of the Museum of Science and Technology exhibition "Energy: Power to Choose," was actively involved in the message presented to the public, according to emails obtained by CBC News.

The Ottawa museum unveiled the exhibition last year despite criticism from environmental groups like the Sierra Club who said it was in part funded by the Imperial Oil foundation, which contributed $600,000 over six years.

The museum had defended the decision, saying it received funding from a number of energy industry sources, and said the final decision about what would be presented was with the museum itself.... Read more »