The Toronto Sun posted a story today about an ‘advocacy group’ called ethicaloil.org, which is arguing in support of the Keystone Pipeline, the controversial pipe linking the Alberta oilsands with refineries in the Gulf of Mexico.
In addition to a series of radio ads, the group has been staging protests in which women dress as Muslims and hand out postcards claiming that opposition to the Keystone Pipeline is part of a secret Muslim plot to protect middle-eastern oil interests.
The Sun quotes a ‘spokesperson’ for the group, who claims that all the funding for their campaign came from ‘grassroots fund raising.’
But what the Sun fails to mention is that Ethicaloil.org is registered to Ezra Levant, the host of one of the sad, little talk shows that airs on the Sun News Network. In fact, the group is named after a book that he wrote. I’m not sure if they’re intentionally keeping their involvement in this so-called grassroots organization a secret, or if their reporters just suck, neither possibility would surprise me.
The group’s ‘spokesperson,’ Kathryn Marshall (who apparently has ties to the Harper Government herself), said:
“The purpose is to shed light on the realities that a lot of the groups lobbying against pipelines, oilsands and jobs related are funded by foreign donors, foundations and governments.”
“Let’s have a debate, but let it be a Canadian debate, a national debate. Let’s not let this debate be hijacked by international interests.”
They seem to be laying on the ‘foreigner’ rhetoric rather thick. That strategy didn’t work very well for Tim Hudak, but Conservatives never seem to learn from their past mistakes.
The bizarre thing is that the only roadblock to the pipeline right now is America, which is why the group is attacking Obama and protesting in front of the American Embassy. So why all this talk about Canadian interests?
