According to an old Dutch friend of mine, there is a Dutch saying that goes “what you say is what’s in your heart”. Basically it means what you say about other people can be a sign of what you yourself believe and how you behave. For example an unfounded accusation of duplicity could actually be the sign of a duplicitous nature.
For some time I have been taken aback by some of the accusations made about our industry and anyone with the temerity to support it publicly. I even wrote a blog musing it might relate to JR Ewing and the popular show Dallas.
However, recent revelations in Quebec have me thinking instead about this Dutch saying.
Lucien Bouchard recently warned about the bloqueux who are against everything. Examples of what the bloqueux have accused the oil gas industry of are:
Interfering with the independence of the BAPE and the EES. Yet didn’t Daniel Breton say when he was appointed Minister of Environment, “The greens are in power“? We see recently that people close to them were named to the BAPE. Also while protesting any industry participation, they demand their partisans be named to the EES.
Using 100’s of lobbyists to unduly influence Government. Yet we see in the news leading opponents bragging about their access to Government. We don’t see them in the register of lobbyists. On the other hand, industry registers anyone who even has the possibility they might meet with Government.
Being untrustworthy because we are biased. Yet the bloqueux cannot claim not to be biased if they love the media spotlight and depend on funding and salaries. Industry is completely transparent about its bias and meets very stringent public reporting requirements about its financial and other interests.
Buying the public with huge dollars. Yet it is well known opponents have large communications and lobby budgets. They have full time paid staff to do nothing but advance their agenda’s. Many even issue charitable donations receipts though it is questionable whether they are even charities.
Using propaganda. Yet even Gasland’s producer admits he knew people could light taps on fire½ in 1936. (Before this we were accused of not informing people, so strangely maybe this accusation is a type of progress.)
Only caring about money and destroying the environment. Yet it is the bloqueux who block the replacement of imported bunker fuel oil in Quebec with one of the cleanest sources of natural gas in North America. In addition, I understand that the providers of competitive forms of energy all charge money for it and so can hardly be considered energy philanthropists.
If industry is really doing all the things we have been accused of why have we done so poorly? Is it possible the bloqueux are using big budgets funded by taxpayers to have 100’s of unregistered lobbyists interfere with the independence of the BAPE and the EES and spread propaganda to achieve their biased objectives?
Maybe that’s why they accuse industry of it. It’s in their hearts.