Shady diplomats, Exxon and Harper

Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse on the Conservative's treatment of climate change, we hear more bad news.

Not only is the Party killing our own climate legislation, it's using old American corporate-money games to try to kill their legislation as well. Postmedia News and the Pembina Institute are reporting that our diplomats are working to eliminate American legislation by pressuring Exxon Mobil and BP to use their influence.


Of course the corporate oil barrens have been using lobbyist pressure to sway public opinion and Washington policies for years. But didn't this let up more recently when they had to admit that climate change at least exists? Apparently not. And now we have a government that is tight with industry - tight enough to try to protect it from having to do anything of substance on the most critical issue of our time.

We don't think of corporations as instructive to Canadian politicians as our American neighbours - the money's not as big and as obvious. But the ties are very close with the current government.

This is a scary trend. It's not just elected senators making our democratic decisions - corporations are playing their fair share. We know from Wikileaks that American do some pretty interesting things. And ours are looking pretty shady today as well.

How do we push back? This is what we're up against.