When outsiders think of Canada I'm sure a lot of things come to mind. Hockey, Eskimo's, igloo's, beautiful and picturesque scenary that consists of lakes, forests, and snow covered mountains. What do I think of when I hear Canada?? I probably think of the same things, multiculturalism, poutine!, cottage country, NO right to bare arms, and maybe the country that I was born and raised in and that I'm proud to represent through work and when I'm overseas. I didn't mention any of our sports teams, as to be honest we haven't been doing so hot lately... these Leafs are killing me.... just like the Blue Jays. I still remember that game when Joe Carter hit that HR to win the World Series, I was in the Home Run deck with my buddy. It was a great moment!!
Sorry, back to this documentary I watched. It's amazing how powerful these oil companies are. These companies (Suncor) can take a landscape like this:
To this:
I guess what amazes me is that the province of Alberta back these oil sand projects and companies like Suncor because it's a huge boost into the local economy, but it's not like this oil is even destined to be used in Canada. Most of this oil is sent south of the border to the United States. The largest consumer of oil in the world.
You may also hear about the Gulf oil spill:
and the large ecological consequences of the spill that are still being felt by all the coastal communities. Deep sea drilling, even with the gulf disaster, as large as it was, is less likely to have an environmental impact then the digging and processing or the oil sands in Alberta. To process the oil in oil sands it creates 3 times as much hydrocarbons then drilling for crude oil. As well the stripping of the land is a guaranteed environmental impact that will be felt for generations.
You're all probably wondering why I'm even writing about this, but some of you may know that I actually have a B.Sc in Environmental Science. I guess it was the one course that was interesting in first year University and I kept going with it. I'm by no means a "tree hugger" or an environmentalist, but I think it interests me because it shows how one or two multinational corporations have the financial and political backing of the government to basically strip Canada of it's identity and for most of us in Canada, it seems to be okay.
Don't get me wrong it happens in the USA and countries all over. Another good documentary that I enjoyed watching was Food Inc. It's based on the farmers that grow food for America and the influences that the huge corporations have over the government regulations which ultimately effect the small farmers who are struggling just to break even.
I'm not blaming anyone or anybody in particular but sometimes I have to think the reason these companies are so powerful and wealthy is because of us, the end consumer. Is it because we demand food for a dollar, or want to drive big SUV's that guzzle tonnes of gas, I don't know. But I also look at all the drugs coming into the USA and even Canada which I believe is the root of a lot crimes being committed today. If there was no one consuming the drug, would it even be worth importing any more?
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