Thread by @Norlaine

Right. So, would O'Toole pull a "Harper" and tell the US President that "it's a no-brainer" to approve the pipeline that many Americans oppose? It didn't do a darned bit of good when Harper did it, it wouldn't change anything if O'Toole did it. 1/18

https://twitter.com/jameskcumming/status/1403419652131328001

I want to point out 3 things here.
1. Production in the oil sands has doubled since 2007, while the number of jobs in the industry has steadily declined. Do you know why? Hint: It's got nothing to do with PM Trudeau... 2/18

It's automation. Oil and Gas companies are automating more and more of their processes, so they need to employ fewer and fewer human workers. It's cheaper, machines don't have to be flown in and out, housed, fed, paid... They don't complain nearly as much, 3/

Or get in fights, or have accidents that lead to law suits and embarrassing investigations. The O&G companies are not going to reverse this, no matter who is in power in Ottawa or Edmonton. The days of well-paying jobs galore are done. 4/18

I know it better suits the CPC/UPC narrative to blame the Liberals federally or the NDP provincially, but it's just not accurate. Machines are taking away the great oil patch jobs. And they will continue, increasingly, to do so. 5/18

2. Lots of people want to blame "policies" for the failure of KXL. That pesky government in Ottawa, insisting that there be restrictions on environmental damage, and that the land rights of Indigenous Peoples be observed in practice, not just in theory. 6/18

I say to those people, are you serious? Do you really not care? Is it ok with you if we just keep on destroying the natural environment, damaging wildlife habitats, maybe driving some species to extinction? Regulations are made for reasons. 7/18

They are not made to thwart an industry. They are created because there are risks to be mitigated. Serious, potentially world-changing risks. These are important regulations and if a company can't manage to meet the criteria, they can't do their thing. 8/18

Also, contrary to what some people still seem to believe, we didn't "conquer" the Indigenous Peoples of this land. I have actually seen people post things like "Well, we won and they lost, so we can do what we want." Nope. You are thinking of US history. 9/18

There were some battles, here and there, and some massacres of First Nations and Metis, but by and large, Canada was settled through treaties. Treaties are contracts. Both sides agreed to certain responsibilities, then the settlers abandoned their responsibilities, 10/18

Reneged on their side of the contracts, in so many ways... This is why we are working towards reconciliation now. Because our ancestors screwed the whole thing up royally. So, as part of that process, no, we can't just do what we want. 11/18

Again, important reasons why Indigenous Peoples have rights including the right to be consulted and the right to deny access to their lands (although many governments here still do not recognize that - UCP, cough, Bill 1) 12/18

So, there are policies that make it harder for O&G companies to do their thing, but there are good reasons for them, that have zero to do with "hating Alberta" or trying to shut down the industry. 13/18

It's like how there are workplace health and safety regulations, because it is important that workers not be injured or killed at work. It's like how there are food safety regulations because it's important to not poison people. 14/18

It's like how there are safety regulations on baby car seats, and hockey helmets, and electric appliances. The rules aren't set to put the manufacturers of these products out of business. They are there to protect people from harm. 15/18

3. Finally, Keystone XL was very unpopular in the US. As it was intended to cross a lot of American sovereign territory, approving the US segment of the pipeline, or not, is entirely within the jurisdiction of the American administration. 16/18

Biden said he would shut it down if elected. Jason Kenney bet on Trump winning. He bet $1.3 BILLION of Albertans' money on Trump winning. He lost. Trump lost. Biden kept his promise. And no amount of berating by any Canadian leader will change that. 17/18

O'Toole knows this. He knows President Biden is actually less likely to want to listen to him than to our current PM. He is just going for political points and, he hopes, votes. But O'Toole's promises are empty, because he already knows there is nothing he can do about it. 18/18