EthicalOil
 

In Canada there are thousands of people who work to advance OPEC’s interests. The amazing thing is, most of them do so unwittingly.

Canadians will continue to need oil for decades to come. So when radical activists campaign to stop Canadian industry and infrastructure development, they are actually campaigning to continue Canada and the world’s reliance on oil from OPEC’s tyrants.

To acknowledge the work of OPEC’s surrogates in Canada, EthicalOil.org hosted the inaugural OPEC Lobbyists of the Year Awards to acknowledge those who have truly stood out in advancing OPEC’s interests in Canada over the past year.

Award Recipients:

Rahool Agarwall
Associate – Norton RoseYou may not have heard of him, but you certainly have seen the fruits of his labour. Mr. Agarwal was the lawyer the Saudis hired when they sought to suppress free speech in Canada. When EthicalOil.org aired an ad on Canadian television networks last fall to educate the public on the consequences of supporting conflict oil, Rahool signed the letter threatening lawsuits if we didn’t pull the ad. The Saudi Ambassador even sought a meeting with Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, just to complain about EthicalOil.org. The dictators in Riyadh apparently did not want Canadians to know that buying Saudi conflict oil supports human rights abusers and the oppression of women.
For his hard work in advancing Saudi censorship tactics in Canada, and support OPEC’s interests, EthicalOil.org gives Mr. Agarwal an OPEC Lobbyist of the Year Award.
Rick Smith
Executive Director, Environmental DefenceDr. Smith must be exhausted after his busy year. In addition to opposing the Keystone XL and Northern Gateway pipelines -which would expand Ethical Oil exports -Dr. Smith and his pals at Environmental Defence have even been fighting to keep Canadian Oil from reaching CAnadians. Environmental Defence has been a vocal and active opponent against reversing the flow of the Line 9 pipeline. That reversal would would allow Ethical Oil to flow from western Canada to markets in eastern Canada that currently have to import oil, often from conflict oil regimes. And to make matters worse, Canadian taxpayers are subsidizing their efforts, as the group is a registered charity. When we last checked, OPEC did not have any of their own lobbyists registered in Canada. But why would OPEC need to hire anyone else when it has surrogates like Rick Smith at Environmental Defence to do it for them.
Congratulations Dr. Smith: For your work in opposing the reversal of the Line 9 pipeline and protecting conflict oil’s market share in eastern Canada, you get an OPEC Lobbyist of the Year Award.
Shelia Leggett
Member of the Northern Gateway Project Joint Review Panel, Vice-Chair of the National Energy Board
Ms. Leggett has unwittingly worked very hard to advance OPEC’s interests this past year.  From funding radical environmental groups who oppose all oil industry projects outright and extending the NEB hearings by a year, OPEC’s interests have been well served by her actions.While the clogged up regulatory hearings have to listen to all of the Dogwood Initiative’s “mob-the-mic” campaign’s diatribes, Canada’s ethical oil remains land locked while the regulatory hearings drag on an extra year. OPEC can sleep easy knowing Canada’s ethical oil won’t be competing for Asian market share any time soon.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_CF47UDRKJMIQYBRXOXSA5XUZ5Q Yang

    well i guess that last question will not be answered ? what is ethical oil?

  • Anonymous

    So Ezra says the Saudi’s called the cops on your ceremony. Was it the Ottawa Police or the RCMP?

    All excellent recipients.

  • Dt804a

    What happened when the Saudi
    embassy called the RCMP?

  • Alan Montgomery

    Sounds like she is paid by the day!

  • Jamie Ellerton

    Check out The Source’s coverage of the 2012 OPEC Lobbyist of the Year Awards.

    http://en.video.canoe.tv/archive/the-opec-lobbyist-awards-go-to/1719541343001

  • Josh

    I would say it is time to get rid of OPEC Oil before it’s too late, it is time we stand up and do something and not just stay status quo as Canadians do to often.

  • Dick Brady

    A most wonderful choice of Characters for these awards, each one of them a proud Economic Assassin. Perhaps the wording is a little sharp, but in fact that is what each one of them is doing. Perhaps Mr. Agarwal should consider moving to Saudi Arabia as perhaps their Justice Minister. It’s a bloody shame that Canadians are doing their best to destroy the Canadian Economy.

  • R Terrick

    Outstanding selection for next year the NDP second in command Megan Leslie she who lobbied Washington against the Keystone pipeline should be considered! I guess while you’re considering then Thomas Mulcair should also be considered for his attack on Canadian industry thereby supporting the oil from the Middlesbrough east!

  • Billb

    Get those pipelines built, stop these Left Wing Goofs.

    • Janette

      Well put in just simple terms!!! Stop the corruption and let us get on with what we know is right for the people.

  • Bubba Brown

    “Lobbiest” seems a bit tame for the Saudi peanut gallery good for you and us for outing the people behand the UN -ethical- Oil.
    To think that some of these folks get “charitable” status, use our tax dollars to further their schemes.
    Good Job!

  • Anonymous

    Many opposed to the development of Canadian resources surprisingly have little to say about resource exploitation in other countries. Not even when those projects directly fund the oppression of women and regimes whose human right records are the worst in the world.

    Someone has to stand up and point out that Canadian resources are among the most ethically produced. Though one wonders how long Canadian ideas will influence industries that use large numbers of temporary foreign workers, who work by their own rules and culture, to extract and export raw Canadian resources. Not sure how Canada wins if it does not get the jobs or even enough taxes to fund the infrastructure and clean up required.

    But no one can logically argue that our products are less ethical than those from countries where women have so few rights they are barely considered human. These awards are a great idea to point out who argues for Canada and who fights against it.

  • Dt804a

    I repeat my question and hope the moderator can provide an answer:

    What happened after the Saudi embassy called the RCMP? Did the cops appear? Did they disrupt the “award ceremony”? Did they issue demands/orders to disperse?

  • Anonymous

    Message to the eco-activists: Northern Gateway will pay billions of dollars of royalties, taxes, fees, and levies to five levels of government and aboriginal tribes.

    Are the activists willing to PAY from their OWN money to make up for the revenue shortfall if the pipeline is not built?

    If not (have you ever seen an activist put their own money where their mouth is?), then what right do they have to deprive me of improved health and educational services?

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