Thread by @sunnshiiny

@Allen_Volpe @jimjameswhelan @NDPGrassroots You don’t even know what you’re talking about. That’s the sad part. You think you’re a progressive defending human rights, but you’re only focused on the surface issues. You have no real information what it’s actually about.

@Allen_Volpe @jimjameswhelan @NDPGrassroots China owns land leases to oil sands and conventional oil. They want the pipeline built so they can increase the amount of bitumen to refine in their own refineries. Bitumen is cheap compared to conventional gas. Oil sands save them money.

@Allen_Volpe @jimjameswhelan @NDPGrassroots Considering there is 1.6B people in China, that’s a significant amount of savings. However, there is much more oil sands than even China needs. They want to develop oil sands as quickly as possible to gain profit by selling the refined product to nearby Asian market.

@Allen_Volpe @jimjameswhelan @NDPGrassroots That’s trillions in profits for China for developing oil sands with minimal royalties to Canadians.

What is currently stopping that business plan from being actualized. The TMX pipeline. There isn’t the capacity of the current pipeline to accommodate this plan.

@Allen_Volpe @jimjameswhelan @NDPGrassroots FIPA signed between China’s Xi and Canada’s Harper gives China the ability to supersede Canadian Judicial System and sue Canada in an international tribunal for blocking the transportation of their product by legislation or government action.

@Allen_Volpe @jimjameswhelan @NDPGrassroots Basically, Harper sold Canadian National sovereignty to China for the opportunity for Canadian (and other foreign) oil sands investors to profit from Chinese investment in the oil sands. For 31 years. Until 2045.

@Allen_Volpe @jimjameswhelan @NDPGrassroots But Trudeau found a loophole. By the Canadian govt owning the pipeline, China and Chinese investors cannot control the pipeline being built or sue the Canadian govt (ultimately the taxpayers) for loss of profits and refusal to build the pipeline.

@Allen_Volpe @jimjameswhelan @NDPGrassroots An international tribunal would have overruled indigenous treaty rights precedence and the pipeline would already be in operation if Trudeau hadn’t bought the pipeline. But I’m sure China is suing Canada in the international tribunal regardless of not owning the infrastructure.

@Allen_Volpe @jimjameswhelan @NDPGrassroots The problem for China is he keeps approving the pipeline. FN and environmental groups keep going to court and we still don’t have a pipeline built. But the government is doing everything they can to get it built, within the Canadian legal framework.

@Allen_Volpe @jimjameswhelan @NDPGrassroots Preserving Canadian sovereignty in the process.

This is all secret and undisclosed to the public because Harper included an airtight confidentiality clause in the FIPA with China. No government official or bureaucrat can discuss the terms of the agreement or any issues.

@Allen_Volpe @jimjameswhelan @NDPGrassroots To do so would incur punitive damages being awarded to China and a ruling for payment of lost profits due to the negative publicity. The only time the government can discuss dealings with China is after a final decision is determined by the tribunal.

@Allen_Volpe @jimjameswhelan @NDPGrassroots Obviously we haven’t reached that point yet. But we have reached the point of royal assent of Bill C-69. The legal framework binding all future decisions on FF projects, including infrastructure, be made with climate action requirements as the primary factor to consider.

@Allen_Volpe @jimjameswhelan @NDPGrassroots All it requires is enactment and then all future decisions must meet climate priorities.

And TMX is going back to court, is it not? So the approval process would be activated again. Under a new law. If the Bill gets enacted.

@Allen_Volpe @jimjameswhelan @NDPGrassroots If you want documentation to verify this analysis.

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf…

The FIPA isn’t available for public viewing, but an international trade expert who teaches at Osgoode wrote copious warnings before the contract was signed & still available for public review.

@Allen_Volpe @jimjameswhelan @NDPGrassroots But you keep spinning your tall tales of Trudeau not being a progressive. I’m sure you’ll convince quite a few to split the progressive vote and deliver Canada into CPC hands.

Learn the game boys. Politics is perception, codified policy is the key to change. Not populism.

@Allen_Volpe @jimjameswhelan @NDPGrassroots Trudeau is one of the smartest politicians of his time. He’s outwitted Chinese and US ideologues using statecraft to subordinate Canada to their national interests. Do you really believe May or Singh are able to do the same?