"The success of our work is measured by a single question:
Are people better off now than when we started?”
- President Bill Clinton
For the materials that I used to give a presentation to a group of journalists, here in New York, earlier this week, please click here: The "Demarketing Canada's Friendly Oil by American Foundations. NOTE: This file is 20 MB so it may take a while to download.
Here's a brief summary of the key points that I've been trying to make, this week in New York:
Half of all oil consumed in the United States. is from foreign imports. Canada supplies 25% of oil imports and, as such, is an important partner in the energy security and the economy of America. And yet, American charitable foundations have spent at least $18 million (2000 – 2009) specifically on projects that thwart the oil and gas industry in Canada, U.S. tax returns show. These foundations spend nearly $50 million per year to fund environmental groups (ENGOs) that, among other things, are “demarketing” Canadian oil.
Most Canadians have no idea about the extent to which Canada's premier environmental organizations are funded by U.S. foundations. The David Suzuki Foundation, for example, has been paid more than $10 million by U.S. foundations. Ducks Unlimited Canada derives about one third of its total revenue from foreign sources, according to Canadian tax returns.
Demarketing is reducing or shifting demand away. The demarketing of Canadian oil appears to be funded as a small part of a large, well-financed marketing campaign to sway market share and investment capital towards so-called “clean energy.”
Indeed, it wouldn’t be easy to create demand for “clean energy” while singing the praises of oil and coal. It would be much easier to create demand for “clean energy” with a negative foil of bad press about “dirty oil,” and “tar sands” - which is precisely what environmental organizations are providing.
American charity would be better directed towards reducing poverty and advancing education, rather than forcing America to rely on oil imports from countries that are far less friendly to the U.S., than Canada.
At the present rate, American foundations are on track to spend half a billion dollars (roughly $50 million per year) funding the environmental movement in Canada, over the next ten years. This money could be better spent in other places that are far more needy than Canada.
Special thanks to the Atlas Economic Research Foundation for covering my airfare and providing an honorarium of $2,500 which covered my expenses in New York. In particular, special thanks to Deroy Murdoch who looked me up out of the blue and took the initiative to invite me to New York. To Deroy and Stephanie, thank you both for all your hard work and your wonderful hospitality while I was here in New York!
