This is a guest post from Richard Telofski on the influence of US nonprofit organizations on Canadian environmental policy. I think you will find it informative and interesting.—JH
“It’s Not About Canadianism; It’s About Capitalism”
by Richard Telofski
Recently I wrote on my Web site “Canada Chooses Prosperity Over Radical Influence,” an article which discusses how the Canadian government will now give more attention to capitalistic criteria and less attention to radical and ideological environmentalist criteria as a foundation for the approval of future business projects.
Yes, I know. This is quite a refreshing and sudden change. To see governments say enough is enough with the environmentalist emotional bullying is quite a surprise, especially for those of us in the United States. But how did this flip suddenly come about? What was the catalyst that precipitated this shift?
I’ll admit it. I don’t watch Canadian politics very closely. But I do check in on them occasionally. And what seems to have caused this change, according to the Canadian newspaper, The Financial Post, was Vivian Krause.
Vivian who?
Exactly.
Americans aren’t going to recognize this name. After all, we’re busier attending to the antics of Lindsay Lohan and the opinions of Angelina Jolie. But apparently, Vivian is currently a big deal in the Great White North. Why? Well, through dogged research Vivian, an independent writer and researcher who works from her dining room table, has found that a big portion of the funding for Canadian environmental, anti-economic development, anti-Canadian oil business groups comes from American non-profit foundations.
Now, from what I can gather, a lot of people in the Provinces think that this is a major scandal; that American organizations are sending big bucks across the border to influence the direction of the Canadian oil business. They’re getting their Canadianism up. If I was Canadian, I’d probably feel the same way. But I’m not. So, I have a somewhat different view and here it is.
It’s not like these American delneros are coming from Exxon; at least not as far as Vivian’s research or Exxon’s Worldwide Charitable Donation list shows. According to Vivian, the American bucks are being sent cross-border by foundations such as the Pew Charitable Trust, the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the David & Lucille Packard Foundation. These aren’t profit oriented organizations. These non-profit foundations contribute to many other environmental, anti-capitalist causes, many of them American and many of them of other nationalities. (See the Pew 2010 Form 990 – start on PDF page 30, see the Hewlett 2009 Form 990 – start on PDF page 15, and see the Packard 2009 Form 990 – start on PDF page 16)
So, because these foundations don’t seem to be targeting Canadian business exclusively, I don’t think that the issue here should be Canadianism. Rather the issue here should be capitalism. As British columnist James Delingpole wrote about this scandal last week:
“Actually I think the sinister-foreign-interests-trying-to-destroy-Canada angle is overdone. It’s not Canada these green activists specifically want to ruin: it’s Western industrial civilisation generally.”
Okay. Outrage over excessive foreign influence. I get it. But I think what the Canadians might be missing here is this. The funds are coming from America, yes. Those are the trees. But the forest, the larger issue here is that the funds are coming from organizations that fund anti-business movements. That’s the forest to see.
But in either case, whether it’s Canadianism or the protection of capitalism that is driving the the Canadian government’s shift, capitalism and rational economic development are the winners of the day.
Kudos, eh?
Richard Telofski heads The Kahuna Institute, Inc., a research organization specializing in the analysis of NGOs and activist organizations.
We desperately need Canadian leadership in DC…
And with these new policies, watch Canadians exports increase dramatically…
[...] Click here to read “It’s Not About Canadianism; It’s About Capitalism.” [...]
Just like taking on debt in the short term is an injection in the arm for an economy, destroying the environment gives the same short term economic boost, as it is destroying the environmental capital that is stored in the planet. In the long term both strategies are unsustainable and disastrous. In both cases, until we understand the long term implications of what we are doing, we play an extremely risky game.
So the foundations of Hewlett and Packard are financing anti-industrial, anti-capitalist movements? A bit ironic, isn’t it? Remorse and repentance?
Vivian came across another interesting find… The Tides U.S. Nonprofit organization that has made considerable donations to the environmentalist group. According to Ms. Krause, Tides is less philanthropic and more money laundering enterprise,taking money from donators and donating on their behalf, where they request.
Give it a look.
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2010/10/14/u-s-foundations-against-the-oil-sands/
looks like I misread. I take it all back. Sorry
For me the real issue is perverting tax-free “charitable” status for political lobbying and environmental propaganda. But the department who oversees this – Canada Revenue Agency – deserves criticism for not policing this more effectively.
Of course the sheer hypocrisy of foundations built by global capitalism (HP, Intel, Sun Oil Company of Philadelphia who started Oilsand development!) subverting natural resource development is pretty galling but again, it is not illegal in a democratic country like Canada. Why these US groups can’t find real issues like child hunger in the third world to manage rather than fund white-collar enviro-nuts in a 1st world country like Canada seems misplaced.
Finally there is “industrial diversion” as many of the sponsored environmental program end up benefiting US Industry at Canada’s expense. Canadian Oil&Gas, Fishing and Forestry development is stopped while US industry/others gains sales. As many of these sectors employ aboriginals – they actually get hurt worse than anyone. Personally, I find that the most despicable impact.
It was like when Greenpeace/PETA stopped fur trapping and hunting traditions – which were among the few “cash crops” remote aboriginal communities still enjoyed. Now these activities are moribund and aboriginals are more dependent on Government handouts. And contrary to Global Warming zealots – there are growing populations of Polar Bears, seals and fox/cougars to attack/maim/kill humans, especially if you can’t shoot to defend yourself. So even if you kill them in self-defense and eat them – the furs have very little value.
crj