Canada Promises Climate Reparations at COP29 While Courting Big Oil at Home

Steven Guilbeault came to the COP29 climate change negotiations in Azerbaijan ready to make what the federal Liberal government deemed a “major” announcement.  The Canadian minister of environment promised a financing platform worth more than $2 billion which can help developing countries prepare for the worst impacts of climate change and shift their economies to cleaner sources of energy.  But though a rapid acceleration of climate finance – sometimes referred to as climate reparations – is badly needed, Canada is set to undermine that goal back home by potentially funneling billions of dollars to oil and gas producers at the heart of the climate crisis. Behind the scenes, oil patch lobbyists are apparently hard at work seeking expensive subsidies from the Canadian taxpayer. In the last year Pathways Alliance, a coalition representing six of the largest oil sands companies, booked 78 meetings with almost 40 senior federal officials including the deputy prime minister, three ministers, three deputy ministers, six assistant deputy ministers, three chiefs of staff, seven members of parliament and two senators. The deputy secretary to the cabinet for clean growth had 38 separate meetings with lobbyists for the Pathways Alliance.  In 2023 Canadians were bombarded with Pathways commercials...