IN THE NEWS ~ More transparency needed on foreign investment reviews, says NDP MP Julian

The government should use the China National Offshore Oil Corporation’s takeover bid for Canadian energy company Nexen as an opportunity to finally define what ‘net benefit’ means in its foreign investment review, says the NDP.

“This is a whole different scale in terms of CNOOC making this large of a takeover proposal. What we’ve seen from state companies in the past have been small takeovers,� said NDP MP Peter Julian (Burnaby-New Westminster, B.C.), his party’s natural resources critic, who described the takeover bid as a “wake-up call� for the government. “Now we have a huge case with significant ramifications. They’ve got to put in place an open and transparent review process.�

IN THE NEWS ~ PM makes 'about-face' on B.C. pipeline

Les Whittington, The Toronto Star, NEWS, Page: A-1

Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the first time sounded a cautious note about the approval process for the highly controversial Northern Gateway pipeline that would carry oilsands-derived crude from Alberta to the British Columbia coast.

Harper's government has been a strong supporter of the proposed pipeline and has given itself the power to make the final decision on whether the $6-billion project should go ahead regardless of the outcome of an independent environmental review process by federal regulators.

IN THE NEWS ~ Science, not economics, will determine fate of pipeline, Harper says

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper says science — not politics — will  ultimately determine whether the Northern Gateway pipeline proceeds, and he is  refusing to get into an argument with British Columbia about how to share “hypothetical revenuesâ€� from the project.

Harper also maintains it’s “in the vital interestâ€� of British Columbia and  Canada to diversify export markets with infrastructure projects that can help  get Canadian resources to Asia.

IN THE NEWS ~ Pipeline will be decided by independent panel, not politics, says PM

VANCOUVER — Prime Minister Stephen Harper was unabashed Tuesday about his  support for the Northern Gateway project that would see a pipeline deliver crude  from the Alberta oilsands to a port on the B.C. coast. But Harper said science,  not politics, will decide the fate of the controversial pipeline proposed by  Calgary-based Enbridge (TSX:ENB).

IN THE NEWS ~ POLICY BRIEF ~ Feds locked into one-dimensional strategy aimed at increasing raw oil exports

In turning a blind eye to the changing realities of the global energy economy, the federal Conservatives are squandering Canada's ability to cash in on a clean technology market that reached $1-trillion last year and is expected to grow to $3-trillion by 2020.

NDP MP Peter Julian

BURNABY, B.C. Nobody debates that Canada possesses vast energy resources. We are a large nation with a significant endowment of both fossil fuel and renewable power sources. But, as policy-makers, we must carefully consider how to leverage this endowment to ensure our role as an energy superpower that is both economically and environmentally sustainable.

IN THE NEWS ~ Harper puts deadline on oil pipeline review

   The Harper government moved Friday to streamline the review and decision-making process for the proposed Northern Gateway oil pipeline, which has emerged as one of the most contentious mega-projects of modern times.

   To prevent any more delays in the National Energy Board-directed study of the feasibility of the $6-billion plan to ship oilsands-derived crude through northern British Columbia, the Conservatives said the review must be completed by no later than December 2013.

IN THE NEWS ~ U.S. regulator raps Enbridge on safety

Published | Publié: 2012-08-03

Received | Reçu: 2012-08-03 2:44 AM

GLOBE AND MAIL (METRO)

REPORT ON BUSINESS, Page: B1

U.S. regulator raps Enbridge on safety

In a second rebuke, watchdog tells company it must hire third party to oversee plan before it can restart troubled pipeline

CARRIE TAIT

   Enbridge Inc.'s regulatory woes are deepening in the wake of its most recent oil spill, with a U.S. watchdog telling the company it must hire an independent party to supervise a new safety plan for a 3,000-kilometre pipeline network. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said Calgary-based Enbridge must examine procedures on its entire Lakehead pipeline network before it will allow the company to restart Line 14, which is part of the system that leaked last Friday.

IN THE NEWS ~ NDP wants public review after SEC alleges insider trading

NDP wants public review after SEC alleges insider trading.

Sneh Duggal

Of all of Ottawa's foreign diplomats, Yemen's man in Ottawa might have the most intimate grasp of the impending acquisition of Canadian oil and gas producer Nexen Inc. by state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation Ltd.

That's because not only has Nexen been present in Yemen since 1987, but Yemeni Ambassador Khaled Bahah worked for the company for almost a dozen years—from 1992 to 2005, minus a couple of years in between, and before becoming Yemen's oil minister.

IN THE NEWS ~ NEXEN DEAL NEEDS MORE SCRUTINY IN WAKE OF ALLEGATIONS

With SEC filing insider trading complaint, Conservatives must allow public review of deal

OTTAWA – New Democrats are renewing their push for greater public scrutiny of the proposed buyout of Nexen by the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) after serious allegations of insider trading were raised by the United States Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) late last week.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ~ NEW RESTRICTIONS LEAVE MORE UNEMPLOYED OUT IN THE COLD

OTTAWA – Today’s announcement to further restrict EI qualifications is just another example of bad news for Canadians hidden within the Conservatives’ Trojan Horse budget bill, according to the NDP.

“The Minister has failed the most basic test of accountability when it comes to these new restrictions,� said New Democrat Finance Critic Peggy Nash. “Conservative Ministers have been making up a different story everyday and are simply mismanaging Employment Insurance. They didn’t even bother to consult Canadians, or the provinces, before announcing these arbitrary changes.�

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ~ NDP LAUNCHES RAINBOW DAY ON THE HILL

OTTAWA – Today, the New Democrat Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Caucus announced the launch of Rainbow Day a LGBT shadow program which will take place this May 1st.

“It is time that LGBT youth see firsthand what a positive impact that they can have,� said NDP Associate Critic for LGBT Dany Morin (Chicoutimi—Le Fjord).

Working in conjunction with Jer’s Vision, Rainbow Day will be an annual event in Ottawa that will pair MPs from the LGBT caucus with students to see what life is like on Parliament Hill.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ~ GUTTING ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION WILL HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES: LESLIE

“These new measures will severely gut the environmental protection process in Canada,� said NDP Environment critic Megan Leslie. “After slashing funding to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, they’re now saddling it with the obligation to do more complex reviews, faster, with fewer resources..�

“On the one hand, businesses that had measured the social acceptability of their project through an extensive environmental assessment process would know where they stand before investing large sums of money,� added NDP Deputy Environment Critic, Laurin Liu. “On the other hand, quality environmental protection allows Canada to improve trade relations, as we are currently seen as an environmental offender.�