Ottawa Asks NAFTA Agency to Drop Tar Sands/Oil Sands Investigation

The Canadian government is asking the Commission for Environmental Co-operation to drop its investigation of possible Fisheries Act violations in the Alberta tar sands/oil sands. The CEC, established under a free trade agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico, is looking into possible toxic releases after receiving a complaint from two environmental groups and three individuals in 2010. “The CEC is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do, which is to take a close look at these environmental concerns,” said Hannah McKinnon of Environmental Defence. “What struck me the most about this letter was just the language and tone that they used. It really does feel like the latest in this pattern they have in attacking anything that is getting in the way of their tar sands expansion plans.”