Ex-Stephen Harper adviser Bruce Carson altered partnership's mandate to improve oilsands image

Ex-Stephen Harper adviser Bruce Carson altered partnership's mandate to improve oilsands image

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.

Carson was responsible for Harper's climate change strategy, which consisted of doing as little as possible. The Globe and Mail quotes Bruce McKibben:

“It's a great shame to see Canada, to whom many of us have looked for leadership, outdoing even the U.S. in its timidity,” he says. “The financial power of the tar sands have played no small role, would be my guess.”

“Of course,” he argues, “this abdication of responsibility is only temporary. The Harper government isn't fighting with Liberals – it's fighting with chemistry and physics.”