David MacLean
Vice President, Communications and Policy, Alberta Enterprise Group

The Canadian Oil sands are good for both Canada and the world

The oil sands represent the gift of time, prosperity and, most importantly, choice. They give us the choice to not use the oil resources of less democratic places, like Saudi Arabia and Nigeria. We have an ethical choice of where to buy our energy from and every drop which is not taken from Canada will be taken from countries that are not interested in peace and human rights.



Until there's a viable energy alternative, we have to rely on hydrocarbons

Looking at the current growth rate, globally we are falling short of 76 million barrels of oil a day - the oil needed to heat houses and facilitate transport around the world. In reality, every drop is needed and an energy equivalent on this scale in solar or wind power has not been provided by organisations like Greenpeace. Oil sands are a bridge between the oil-scarce present and a future of improved technology and less reliance on fossil fuels.



Canadian oil sands offer a peaceful and transparent supply of energy

The oil sands industry has over the last decade reduced carbon emissions per barrel by 39% through the development of better technologies and processes. Equally, the industry is the largest employer of indigenous First Nation peoples in Canada, employing 2,300 directly and there is no evidence for the Greenpeace myths of increased cancer prevalence in fish. The industry is highly regulated and operates with transparency and high environmental standards.

Mike Hudema
Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Canada

The tar sands industry completely degrades the environment

This industry turns lush wetlands into barren moonscape – rivers and streams are diverted, wetlands are drained and the world’s biggest shovels are carving into the earth. Tailing lakes are filled with chemicals like arsenic and mercury and the surrounding eco-systems are protected only by dams and earth. 11 million litres leak every day from these toxic lakes. Although per barrel carbon emissions are down, barrel production numbers are up therefore overall emissions have increased and are set to grow to 140 million tonnes emitted by 2025, compared with 30 million tonnes this year. This industry is more polluting than conventional oil extraction and far more energy intensive.



First Nation communities are losing their traditional way of life

The polluted water supplies, which have been linked to increases in cancerous tumours and lesions on fish, mean that the traditional diet of indigenous communities must change. Usually, fish contributes 80% of these communities' dietary requirements, but now these people are too scared to drink the water or eat the fish. The Beaver Lake Cree community has cited over 20,000 treaty violations on their traditional territory alone.



The tar sands industry opens a door to unconventional oil supplies which must be closed

This technique requires in itself 3-5 times as much energy and it therefore throws us further off balance with the world’s finite resources and delicate ecology. It is not a well regulated industry; the Royal Canadian Society report showed both federal and provincial government concerns for the regulatory regime and the overall monitoring system used by the Canadian government. Equally, this type of oil production encourages other countries to adopt the same methods when in fact we should be changing to more sustainable ones, and closing the doors on unconventional oil extraction techniques altogether.