• About
    • Which Energy Mix is this?
  • Climate News Network Archive
  • Contact
Celebrating our 1,000th edition. The climate news you need
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
No Result
View All Result
  FEATURED
BREAKING: No Public Finance for East Coast LNG Projects, Wilkinson Says July 4, 2022
‘Climate Math Gets Harder’ as Radicalized Supreme Court Upends U.S. Carbon Regulation July 4, 2022
Dire Living Conditions, Climate-Driven Heat Wave Produce Deadliest Human Smuggling Event in U.S. History July 4, 2022
Ex-Fossil Workers Convert Old Oilfields to Solar Farms After ‘Rapid Upskilling’ in Alberta June 29, 2022
London Becomes Biggest City to Sign Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty June 29, 2022
Next
Prev
Home Jurisdictions Canada

Canadian-Saudi Twitter Spat Points to False Promise for Energy East, Food Security Problems for Saudi Regime

August 12, 2018
Reading time: 5 minutes
Primary Author: Mitchell Beer @mitchellbeer

Mohammed Bin Salman/Facebook

Mohammed Bin Salman/Facebook

 

It didn’t take very long for the fossil industry and its proponents to come up with a simple response to the diplomatic spat between Canada and Saudi Arabia: let’s just restart plans for TransCanada Corporation’s controversial Energy East pipeline, to provide a secure supply of oil for the country’s eastern provinces.

There were just a couple of problems with the plan: The existing oil supplies were never in doubt, and Saudi Arabia’s extreme defensiveness over a human rights tweet from Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland soon came in for its own share of second-guessing.

The saga began when Freeland tweeted Canada’s concern about Saudi Arabia’s arrest of human rights activists—somewhat echoing a talking point that fossils often make in their claims for the country’s “ethical” oil. “Canada is gravely concerned about additional arrests of civil society and women’s rights activists in #SaudiArabia, including Samar Badawi. We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release them and all other peaceful #humanrights activists,” Freeland wrote.

“It is the sort of thing that Western governments do from time to time when their consciences are mildly pricked by the actions of authoritarian regimes,” notes Middle East analyst and former BBC reporter Bill Law, in a report for Al Jazeera. “The response of those regimes is usually to ignore the criticism and life, trade deals, and human rights abuses carry on until the next time democratic consciences are somewhat troubled. It has become a bit of a game, a diplomatic set piece with little consequence for either side.”

But this time was different. “Throughout its long history, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has never accepted any interference in its domestic affairs by, or orders from, any country,” the Saudi regime responded. “The Canadian statement is a blatant interference in the Kingdom’s domestic affairs, against international norms,” and “a major, unacceptable affront”.

After Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Ottawa, gave the Canadian ambassador in Riyadh 24 hours to leave town, and began cutting economic ties, Canadian fossils swung into action. “Geopolitical tensions, whether they be with our largest trading partner, the U.S., or with other countries, illustrate the opportunity we have to improve energy security within our own borders and to expand our exports to global markets to ensure we are getting the best price for our products,” said Ben Brunnen, vice president of oil sands operations and fiscal policy for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

“The best thing the Liberal government could do in response to the diplomatic and trade war started by Saudi Arabia is to kick-start the Energy East pipeline project again,” opined former Alberta opposition leader Danielle Smith, now a radio host with Global News affiliate 770 CHQR in Calgary. “The second-best thing they could do is tell Saudi Arabia that we don’t need their dirty oil and source it from the Americans instead.”

Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said Canada should simply buy any imported oil it needs from less objectionable regimes. “I think we should look at that as an alternative to dealing with a nation that has a serious track record of human rights violations, oppression of women, oppression of those who have voiced criticism of the government,” he told CBC’s Power & Politics program. “We should take a hard look. Does it make sense for us to continue to have trade relations with a country that has such a bad track record?”

While Singh is on record opposing both the Trans Mountain and Energy East pipeline projects, he said he would be in favour of adding refining capacity in Canada to process raw bitumen.

But less than a week after his government’s initial outburst, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih was clarifying that “the current diplomatic crisis between Saudi Arabia and Canada will not, in any way, impact Saudi Aramco’s relations with its customers in Canada.” In a prepared statement, he affirmed a “firm and long-standing policy” that petroleum supplies are not influenced by political considerations. A day earlier, the Saudi government’s Center for International Communication (CIC) posted but then deleted a tweet stating that “neither the government nor the Central Bank or the state pension fund has issued any instructions regarding the sale of Canadian assets.”

While the Toronto Sun seized on the story, with a big headline claiming the Trudeau government is “turning Canada into a pariah” (Wot? The Sun chain siding with autocrats and misogynists?—Ed.), BBC and Al Jazeera’s Bill Law has a more in-depth, reasoned analysis. “Picking on Canada, a country with a generally positive global image, and doing so in language that is almost baroque in its claims while at the same time threatening to meddle in Canada’s domestic affairs unless the criticism stops, is an odd thing to do when you are attempting to rebrand your country as moderate and open for business,” he writes. “But when you are a young man in a hurry with enormous power to wield, busy jailing anyone who dares to criticize with no one to gainsay you, then this is what happens.”

CBC also points to the serious, needless risk bin Salman is taking by cancelling Canadian wheat imports when global supplies are dwindling—due to an epic Northern Hemisphere heat wave brought on in part by the extraction, export, and use of his own country’s major export.

While Canada isn’t currently one of the country’s major wheat suppliers, “Saudi Arabia imports hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of food every year, so the plan—if it’s a serious threat — would presumably be to source grains elsewhere,”  CBC notes. But “if that’s the case, Riyadh is likely to run into a problem: other countries don’t have much to sell right now.” Europe’s wheat production this year will be its lowest since 2012, turning Germany from a net exporter to a net importer.

“Dry conditions for seeding next year’s winter wheat crop extend from the southwest [Europe] Plains to France, though Ukraine and Russia are starting to trend wetter,” wrote Farm Futures senior grain market analyst Bryce Knorr. “Now, a brewing El Niño warming of the equatorial Pacific threatens to slash Australian production by a third.”



in Canada, Energy Politics, Food Security, Middle East, Pipelines / Rail Transport

The latest climate news and analysis, direct to your inbox

Subscribe

Related Posts

Wikimedia Commons
Oil & Gas

BREAKING: No Public Finance for East Coast LNG Projects, Wilkinson Says

July 4, 2022
117
angela n./flickr
United States

‘Climate Math Gets Harder’ as Radicalized Supreme Court Upends U.S. Carbon Regulation

July 4, 2022
118
opinion polling gender green recovery climate action
Media, Messaging, & Public Opinion

Conservative Women Far More Likely Than Men to Support Green Transition, EcoAnalytics Research Finds

July 4, 2022
80

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Trending Stories

angela n./flickr

‘Climate Math Gets Harder’ as Radicalized Supreme Court Upends U.S. Carbon Regulation

July 4, 2022
118
Wikimedia Commons

BREAKING: No Public Finance for East Coast LNG Projects, Wilkinson Says

July 4, 2022
117
U.S. Navy/picryl

Montreal to Host New NATO Climate Centre as Military Analyst Confronts Global ‘Hyperthreat’

July 4, 2022
81
opinion polling gender green recovery climate action

Conservative Women Far More Likely Than Men to Support Green Transition, EcoAnalytics Research Finds

July 4, 2022
80
Maurits90/Wikimedia Commons

San Francisco Commuter Train Derailed by Scorching Track Temperatures, Extreme Heat

July 4, 2022
49
EdmondMeinfelder/flickr

Dire Living Conditions, Climate-Driven Heat Wave Produce Deadliest Human Smuggling Event in U.S. History

July 4, 2022
35

Recent Posts

Adrian Grycuk/Wikimedia Commons

Youth Climate Case Moves to Top Tribunal in European Court

July 4, 2022
34
Seci/wikimedia commons

Saudi Aramco Talks Net-Zero, Plans to Boost Production Through 2035

July 4, 2022
21
Keith Weller/Wikimedia Commons

U.S. Methane Plan Gives Big Ag a Free Pass

July 4, 2022
28
Fadi Hage/wikimedia commons

Indoor Farming Revolution Comes with Significant Carbon Cost

July 4, 2022
37
Mont SUTTON snow terrain

Southern Quebec Towns Scramble for Solutions as Water Sources Dwindle

July 4, 2022
37
Pxhere

Marine Stewardship Figures Prominently in Latest Project Drawdown List

July 4, 2022
24
Next Post
Martin Davis/Facebook

Canadian Physicians Urge Rapid Climate Action in Response to Wildfires, Heat Emergencies

The Energy Mix

Copyright 2022 © Smarter Shift Inc. and Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy and Copyright
  • Cookie Policy

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities

Copyright 2022 © Smarter Shift Inc. and Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}