Harper Consumates Love Affair with U.S.
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Harper’s Appeasement Harms Canadian Interests
By Myles Higgins
In the 1940s most Newfoundlanders pondered their political future. At the time talk turned to independence, becoming Canada’s tenth Province or even becoming an American state. By April of 1949 the die had been cast. Confederation with Canada was officially announced in newspaper headlines around the world and it looked like the end of the story. Now it looks as if those headlines were just another sign post in our long and tumultuous history.
Today, after nearly sixty years of Confederation, it seems like we may finally be inching ever closer to leaving Canadian control. I’m not talking about independence I’m referring instead to a far less appealing possibility, falling under total U.S. control.
During his recent visit to Newfoundland and Labrador Prime Minister Stephen Harper showed everyone exactly which relationship was the most important in Ottawa. The relationship between Canada and the U.S. or the one between Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador, the winner wasn’t Newfoundland and Labrador.
At the time of the PM’s visit Premier Williams had just raised the stakes in oil development negotiations with U.S. based Exxon Mobile. Days before he had threatened to table “fallow field†legislation if Exxon didn’t move on developing the Hebron Ben Nevis oil field. The legislation would force any oil company who is sitting on a major find to develop the resource within a specified time or lose their rights to it. Some have called the move heroic, others foolhardy and still others question the legal implications of the move.
At a press conference in the Province last week a reporter asked the PM if he would support such a move by Williams. Harper’s response managed to sellout the Province, tow the line for U.S. oil interests and kick the legs out from under Premier Williams all in one fell swoop.
You went three for three, on that one Steve.
It wouldn’t have taken much for Harper to morally support Williams’ efforts, at least publicly and he could have dodged any serious repercussions from south of the border at the same time. He didn’t. Instead the PM made a point of saying that the legislation might put the government at financial risk and that negotiation was the best course of action going forward. Thanks for the help there Steve old buddy.
I think a more supportive response to the question might have gone something like, “I’m not fully aware of all the details in this situation but I’ll be more than happy to discuss it with the Premier if he is interested in moving in that direction.†See, I’m not even a politician and certainly not a lawyer, but even I can see that a response like that is just fuzzy enough to do the job. It wouldn’t obligate the PM to anything specific, it would show the public he is open minded on the matter and it would allow the Premier to maintain a strong stance with Exxon.
Why is the idea of fallow field legislation so out to lunch anyway? Alberta did it years ago. Is fifteen or twenty years of idleness not reason enough to consider a resource abandoned? It is in Alberta, in fact some leases out that way expire in only a tenth of the time if not developed. Yes, NAFTA might cause some legal problems, but then again that obstacle shouldn’t be insurmountable. By carefully crafting legislation to avoid the legal pitfalls and perhaps even starting the clock today rather than when the lease was originally signed, I’m sure an answer could be found. Besides, since when has the U.S. abided by NAFTA regulations.
I mean who in their right mind, other than the previous provincial leaders in this Province, would even consider signing over all rights to billions of dollars worth of oil and gas reserves to companies that might never develop them? Who gives up their rights to resources so an oil company can warehouse it for decades, even centuries if they choose to, without having an escape clause?
I have to wonder what the PM possibly hoped to gain in under cutting the Province’s stance, other than placating George Bush’s oil buddies of course? So, as I started out by saying, I guess we are slowing moving from Canadian to U.S. control in this part of the Dominion. Newfoundland and Labrador has now become a land where U.S. corporations have more power than our elected provincial leaders and more backbone than our federal ones. Welcome to the new world order, Stephen Harper style. The rest of the Country had better stand up and take notice because they can’t be far behind.
I guess in Harper’s world Canadian interests take a back seat to U.S. interests. I just hope that between visits to Mexico with his buddy George Dubbya and using our soldiers to backfill for U.S. troops in Afghanistan Harper also found the time to wash his naughty bits before bending over that $70 barrel of oil for Exxon’s CEO. On the up side, at least Newfoundlanders have the benefit of knowing that our PM has had done to him what Ottawa has been doing to this Province for decades.
Myles is freelance columnist and commentator originally from the central region of Newfoundland. He now resides with his wife and a terminally lazy Terrier named “Molson” in the beautiful town of Portugal Cove – St. Philips, Newfoundland “Where the sun meets the sea”.
Myles’ interest in Newfoundland and Labrador political and social issues is obvious in his writing for several publications and on his own web site, Web Talk – Newfoundland and Labrador. A site where Myles dedicates his time to providing an open commentary and discussion forum on newsworthy items of the day.
@ April 19, 2006