Mike De Souza
“Former Harper adviser altered partnership’s mandate to improve oilsands image”
Postmedia News
29 March 2011
OTTAWA - A top adviser to Stephen Harper had a $15 million federal grant at his disposal when he left the prime minister’s office in 2009 to head up what was supposed to be a new environmental research partnership involving the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge.
But according to annual reports released by the Canada School of Energy and Environment, Bruce Carson wound up changing the think tank’s mandate, leaving him in the middle of a government and industry strategy to green the image of Alberta’s oilsands and delay regulations that would crack down on pollution.
“Under his (Carson’s) leadership, CSEE’s mandate was re-energized to include a crucial role in the elaboration of public policy on energy and environment as well as informing the climate change debate in Canada and internationally,” reads the school’s 2009-2010 annual report.
An original agreement among the universities stated the partnership would help co-ordinate and support research to protect the environment or develop and deploy new technology to help reduce pollution.
Carson has said the role included regular meetings and partnerships with top oil and gas CEOs such as Imperial Oil’s Bruce March and Suncor’s Rick George to engage the public about the industry’s image. It also included special assignments from former environment minister Jim Prentice as an adviser “on all facets of Canada’s GHG reduction plan,” as well as dealings with Lisa Raitt and Christian Paradis, the former and current ministers of natural resources, according to Carson’s online biography.
He was the only employee of the think tank to earn a six-figure salary in his first few months on the job, getting a total of $139,203 in salary, benefits, relocation and accommodation allowances during 2008-2009, the school’s first report revealed.
Carson has taken a leave of absence following a report on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network that prompted Harper’s office to ask the RCMP and two federal watchdogs to investigate Carson’s involvement in an Ottawa-based water-filtration company.
But before the news broke, he was meeting regularly with ministers and senior officials in government as several departments worked in partnership with industry on a communications strategy to fight back against criticism and block climate change policies in other countries that targeted energy sectors with heavy environmental footprints such as the oilsands.
“When our product is called `dirty oil’ that really puts me off,” Carson told Alberta Oil Magazine in a 2008 interview, shortly after his appointment to the school, following an international recruitment search by the board of directors. “Canada is the most stable supplier of energy in the world and to have groups in other countries criticizing us is something we need to react to.”
The same issues were raised in joint meetings that Carson had with bureaucrats and industry officials, according to departmental briefing notes released last week through access to information law. The messages are similar to advice given to the natural resources minister in briefing notes, released last November, to fight “well-orchestrated media campaigns” against the oilsands as well as “restrictive legislative and regulatory proposals that associate oilsands with `dirty oil.”
The annual report also said Carson’s school hosted a dinner for Paradis with academics and “thought-leaders” to discuss a national clean energy strategy for Canada.
Paradis acknowledged last week that he had spoken to Carson, but the minister’s spokesman suggested that Postmedia News should not be asking questions about it.
“Of course, everyone knows Bruce Carson,” said Paradis’ communications director Richard Walker last week. “I just don’t want my minister’s name to be dragged into this story in a negative way. There’s nothing negative about his involvement or his dealings with (Carson) or at that event. He was there as the minister of natural resources at an event held by the school. That was it.”
Carson also participated last March in a meeting with senior officials from Paradis’ department, the Alberta government and the oil and gas industry to work on “upping their game” in their communications strategy to boost the image of oilsands companies and fight claims that Alberta produces dirty oil. Last month, Carson spoke with Environment Canada’s deputy minister, Paul Boothe, to set up a meeting between department officials and academics to discuss greenhouse gas reduction policies.
Environment Canada declined to reveal which academics participated in the meeting.
Over the past year, Carson was also organizing a series of “dialogues” with CEOs such as March from Imperial Oil. The dialogues were supposed to form the basis of a new report on the oilsands, which Carson was unable to complete. One invitation, obtained by Postmedia News, for an event last September in Vancouver was actually sent in an email from Dave Collyer, president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, the main industry lobby group.
The existing climate change policies introduced by the Conservative government would result in Canada’s emissions rising nearly 30 per cent above the target set by Harper under the international Copenhagen climate change agreement from 2009, according to Environment Canada statistics. The government has not yet introduced regulations to crack down on pollution from industrial sectors such as the oilsands - which has seen its emissions triple since 1990.
Officials from Carson’s school have not returned phone messages and e-mails asking for comment.
Mike De Souza
“Former Ex-Harper adviser
altered partnership’ think-tank’s mandate to
improve oilsands mandate: Carson involved in fixing
image of oilsands, annual reports show”
Postmedia News
Ottawa Citizen
29
30
March 2011
OTTAWA -
A2
A top adviser to Stephen Harper had a $15
$15-million federal grant at his disposal when he left
the prime minister’s office in 2009 to head up what was supposed to be a
new environmental research partnership involving the University of
Alberta, the University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge.
But according
According
to annual reports released by the Canada School of Energy and
Environment, though, Bruce Carson wound up changing the
think think-tank’s mandate, leaving him in the
middle of a government and industry strategy to green the image of
Alberta’s oilsands and delay regulations that would crack down on
pollution.
“Under his (Carson’s) leadership, CSEE’s mandate was
re-energized to include a crucial role in the elaboration of public
policy on energy and environment as well as informing the climate change
debate in Canada and internationally,” reads the school’s 2009-2010
annual report.
An original agreement among the universities stated the partnership would help co-ordinate and support research to protect the environment or develop and deploy new technology to help reduce pollution.
Carson has said the role included regular meetings and partnerships with top oil and gas CEOs such as Imperial Oil’s Bruce March and Suncor’s Rick George to engage the public about the industry’s image. It also included special assignments from former environment minister Jim Prentice as an adviser “on all facets of Canada’s GHG reduction plan,” as well as dealings with Lisa Raitt and Christian Paradis, the former and current ministers of natural resources, according to Carson’s online biography.
He was the only employee of the think tank to earn a six-figure salary
in his first few months on the job, getting a total of $139,203 in
salary, benefits, relocation and accommodation allowances during
2008-2009, the school’s first report revealed.
Carson has taken a leave of absence following a report on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network that prompted Harper’s office to ask the RCMP and two federal watchdogs to investigate Carson’s involvement in an Ottawa-based water-filtration company.
But before
Before
the news broke, he however, Carson was meeting
regularly with ministers and senior officials in government as several
departments worked in partnership with industry on a communications
strategy to fight back against criticism and block climate change
policies in other countries that targeted energy sectors with heavy
environmental footprints footprints, such as the
oilsands.
“When our product is called `dirty oil’ that really puts me off,” Carson
told Alberta Oil Magazine in a 2008 interview, shortly after his
appointment to the school, following an international recruitment search
by the board of directors. “Canada is the most stable supplier of energy
in the world and to have groups in other countries criticizing us is
something we need to react to.”
The same issues were raised in joint meetings that Carson had with
bureaucrats and industry officials, according to departmental briefing
notes released last week through access to information law. The messages
are similar to advice given to the natural resources minister in
briefing notes, released last November, to fight “well-orchestrated
media campaigns” against the oilsands as well as “restrictive
legislative and regulatory proposals that associate oilsands with `dirty
oil.”
The annual report also said Carson’s school hosted a dinner for Paradis
with academics and “thought-leaders” to discuss a national clean energy
strategy for Canada.
Paradis acknowledged last week that he had spoken to Carson, but the
minister’s spokesman suggested that Postmedia News should not be asking
questions about it.
“Of course, everyone knows Bruce Carson,” said Paradis’ communications
director Richard Walker last week. “I just don’t want my minister’s name
to be dragged into this story in a negative way. There’s nothing
negative about his involvement or his dealings with (Carson) or at that
event. He was there as the minister of natural resources at an event
held by the school. That was it.”
Carson also participated last March in a meeting with senior officials
from Paradis’ department, the Alberta government and the oil and gas
industry to work on “upping their game” in their communications strategy
to boost the image of oilsands companies and fight claims that Alberta
produces dirty oil. Last month, Carson spoke with Environment Canada’s
deputy minister, Paul Boothe, to set up a meeting between department
officials and academics to discuss greenhouse gas reduction policies.
Environment Canada declined to reveal which academics participated in
the meeting.
Over the past year, Carson was also organizing a series of “dialogues”
with CEOs such as March from Imperial Oil. The dialogues were supposed
to form the basis of a new report on the oilsands, which Carson was
unable to complete. One invitation, obtained by Postmedia News, for an
event last September in Vancouver was actually sent in an email from
Dave Collyer, president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum
Producers, the main industry lobby group.
The existing climate change policies introduced by the Conservative
government would result in Canada’s emissions rising nearly 30 per cent
above the target set by Harper under the international Copenhagen
climate change agreement from 2009, according to Environment Canada
statistics. The government has not yet introduced regulations to crack
down on pollution from industrial sectors such as the oilsands - which
has seen its emissions triple since 1990.
Officials from Carson’s school have not returned phone messages and e-mails asking for comment.
Mike De Souza
“Former Harper adviser Carson altered
partnership’ think-tank’s mandate to
improve strategy on oilsands
image pollution”
Postmedia News
Edmonton Journal
29
30
March 2011
OTTAWA -
A3
A top adviser to Stephen Harper had a $15
$15-million federal grant at his disposal when he left
the prime minister’s office in 2009 to head up what was supposed to be a
new environmental research partnership involving the University of
Alberta, the University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge.
But according to annual reports released by the Canada School of
Energy and Environment, Bruce Carson wound up changing the think
think-tank’s mandate, leaving him in the middle of a
government and industry strategy to green the image of Alberta’s
oilsands and delay regulations that would crack down on pollution.
“Under his (Carson’s) leadership, CSEE’s mandate was re-energized to
include a crucial role in the elaboration of public policy on energy and
environment as well as informing the climate
climate-change debate in Canada and internationally,”
reads the school’s 2009-2010 10 annual report.
An original agreement among the universities stated the partnership would help co-ordinate and support research to protect the environment or develop and deploy new technology to help reduce pollution.
Carson has said the role included regular meetings and partnerships
with top oil and oil-and-gas CEOs such as Imperial
Oil’s Bruce March and Suncor’s Rick George to engage the public about
the industry’s image. It also included special assignments from former
environment minister Jim Prentice as an adviser “on all facets of
Canada’s GHG reduction plan,” as well as dealings with Lisa Raitt and
Christian Paradis, the former and current ministers of natural
resources, according to Carson’s online biography.
He was the only employee of the think tank to earn a six-figure salary
in his first few months on the job, getting a total of $139,203 in
salary, benefits, relocation and accommodation allowances during
2008-2009, the school’s first report revealed.
Carson has taken a leave of absence following a report on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network that prompted Harper’s office to ask the RCMP and two federal watchdogs to investigate Carson’s involvement in an Ottawa-based water-filtration company.
But before the news broke, he was meeting regularly with ministers and
senior officials in government as several departments worked in
partnership with industry on a communications strategy to fight back
against criticism and block climate change policies in other countries
that targeted energy sectors with heavy environmental footprints such as
the oilsands.
“When our product is called `dirty oil’ that really puts me off,” Carson
told Alberta Oil Magazine in a 2008 interview, shortly after his
appointment to the school, following an international recruitment search
by the board of directors. “Canada is the most stable supplier of energy
in the world and to have groups in other countries criticizing us is
something we need to react to.”
The same issues were raised in joint meetings that Carson had with
bureaucrats and industry officials, according to departmental briefing
notes released last week through access to information law. The messages
are similar to advice given to the natural resources minister in
briefing notes, released last November, to fight “well-orchestrated
media campaigns” against the oilsands as well as “restrictive
legislative and regulatory proposals that associate oilsands with `dirty
oil.”
The annual report also said Carson’s school hosted a dinner for Paradis
with academics and “thought-leaders” to discuss a national clean energy
strategy for Canada.
Paradis acknowledged last week that he had spoken to Carson, but the
minister’s spokesman suggested that Postmedia News should not be asking
questions about it.
“Of course, everyone knows Bruce Carson,” said Paradis’ communications
director Richard Walker last week. “I just don’t want my minister’s name
to be dragged into this story in a negative way. There’s nothing
negative about his involvement or his dealings with (Carson) or at that
event. He was there as the minister of natural resources at an event
held by the school. That was it.”
Carson also participated last March in a meeting with senior officials
from Paradis’ department, the Alberta government and the oil and gas
industry to work on “upping their game” in their communications strategy
to boost the image of oilsands companies and fight claims that Alberta
produces dirty oil. Last month, Carson spoke with Environment Canada’s
deputy minister, Paul Boothe, to set up a meeting between department
officials and academics to discuss greenhouse gas reduction policies.
Environment Canada declined to reveal which academics participated in
the meeting.
Over the past year, Carson was also organizing a series of “dialogues”
with CEOs such as March from Imperial Oil. The dialogues were supposed
to form the basis of a new report on the oilsands, which Carson was
unable to complete. One invitation, obtained by Postmedia News, for an
event last September in Vancouver was actually sent in an email from
Dave Collyer, president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum
Producers, the main industry lobby group.
The existing climate change policies introduced by the Conservative
government would result in Canada’s emissions rising nearly 30 per cent
above the target set by Harper under the international Copenhagen
climate change agreement from 2009, according to Environment Canada
statistics. The government has not yet introduced regulations to crack
down on pollution from industrial sectors such as the oilsands - which
has seen its emissions triple since 1990.
Officials from Carson’s school have not returned phone messages and
e-mails asking for comment.
Mike De Souza
“Former Harper adviser altered partnership’s mandate to
improve oilsands Carson changed research mandate: Greening the
oilsands’ image became focus”
Postmedia News
Calgary Herald
29
30
March 2011
OTTAWA -
A6
A top adviser to Stephen Harper had a $15 million federal grant at his disposal when he left the prime minister’s office in 2009 to head up what was supposed to be a new environmental research partnership involving the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge.
But according to annual reports released by the Canada School of
Energy and Environment, Bruce Carson wound up changing the think
think-tank’s mandate, leaving him in the middle of a
government and industry strategy to green the image of Alberta’s
oilsands and delay regulations that would crack down on pollution.
“Under his (Carson’s) leadership, CSEE’s mandate was re-energized to include a crucial role in the elaboration of public policy on energy and environment as well as informing the climate change debate in Canada and internationally,” reads the school’s 2009-2010 annual report.
An original agreement among the universities stated the partnership
would help co-ordinate coordinate and support
research to protect the environment or develop and deploy new technology
to help reduce pollution.
Carson has said the role included regular meetings and partnerships
with top oil and gas CEOs such as Imperial Oil’s Bruce March and
Suncor’s Rick George to engage the public about the industry’s
image. It also included special assignments from former environment
minister Jim Prentice as an adviser “on all facets of Canada’s GHG
reduction plan,” as well as dealings with Lisa Raitt and Christian
Paradis, the former and current ministers of natural resources,
according to Carson’s online biography.
He was the only employee of the think tank to earn a six-figure salary
in his first few months on the job, getting a total of $139,203 in
salary, benefits, relocation and accommodation allowances during
2008-2009, the school’s first report revealed.
Carson has taken a leave of absence following a report on the
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network that prompted Harper’s office to
ask the RCMP and two federal watchdogs to investigate Carson’s
involvement in an Ottawa-based water-filtration a
waterfiltration company.
But before the news broke, he was meeting regularly with ministers
and senior officials in government as several departments worked in
partnership with industry on a communications strategy to fight
back against criticism and block foreign climate
change policies in other countries that targeted energy
sectors with heavy environmental footprints such as the
oilsands.
“When our product is called `dirty oil’ ‘dirty
oil’ that really puts me off,” Carson told Alberta Oil Magazine in
a 2008 interview, shortly after his appointment to the school,
following an international recruitment search by the board of directors.
interview.
“Canada is the most stable supplier of energy in the world and to have groups in other countries criticizing us is something we need to react to.”
The same issues were raised in joint meetings that Carson had with
bureaucrats and industry officials, according to departmental briefing
notes released last week through access to information law. The messages
are similar to advice given to the natural resources minister in
briefing notes, released last November, to fight “well-orchestrated
media campaigns” against the oilsands as well as “restrictive
legislative and regulatory proposals that associate oilsands with `dirty
oil.”
The annual report also said Carson’s school hosted a dinner for Paradis
with academics and “thought-leaders” to discuss a national clean energy
strategy for Canada.
Paradis acknowledged last week that he had spoken to Carson, but the
minister’s spokesman suggested that Postmedia News should not be asking
questions about it.
“Of course, everyone knows Bruce Carson,” said Paradis’ communications
director Richard Walker last week. “I just don’t want my minister’s name
to be dragged into this story in a negative way. There’s nothing
negative about his involvement or his dealings with (Carson) or at that
event. He was there as the minister of natural resources at an event
held by the school. That was it.”
Carson also participated last March in a meeting with senior officials
from Paradis’ department, the Alberta government and the oil and gas
industry to work on “upping their game” in their communications strategy
to boost the image of oilsands companies and fight claims that Alberta
produces dirty oil. Last month, Carson spoke with Environment Canada’s
deputy minister, Paul Boothe, to set up a meeting between department
officials and academics to discuss greenhouse gas reduction policies.
Environment Canada declined to reveal which academics participated in
the meeting.
Over the past year, Carson was also organizing a series of “dialogues”
with CEOs such as March from Imperial Oil. The dialogues were supposed
to form the basis of a new report on the oilsands, which Carson was
unable to complete. One invitation, obtained by Postmedia News, for an
event last September in Vancouver was actually sent in an email from
Dave Collyer, president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum
Producers, the main industry lobby group.
The existing climate change policies introduced by the Conservative
government would result in Canada’s emissions rising nearly 30 per cent
above the target set by Harper under the international Copenhagen
climate change agreement from 2009, according to Environment Canada
statistics. The government has not yet introduced regulations to crack
down on pollution from industrial sectors such as the oilsands - which
has seen its emissions triple since 1990.
Officials from Carson’s school have not returned phone messages and
e-mails asking for comment.