Layton - Moratorium on new oil sands projects

Hats off to Jack Layton and the NDP for coming out in support of a moratorium on all new Alberta oil / tar sands projects "until emissions are capped". Personally, I'd support even more drastic action considering that the tar sands oil extraction is probably the world's largest greenhouse gas producer. Why? To provide cheap oil to the United States.

Meanwhile the story gets even more interesting as Harper and the Conservatives try to position themselves as the defenders of "good, union jobs". Check out this story in today's Globe & Mail.

The Conservative Party of Canada, well-known bastion of the working class, is concerned about the loss of "good union jobs" across the country if NDP Leader Jack Layton succeeds in his quest to quell further expansion of Alberta's oil sands because of the onetime dinosaur haunt's huge impact on the environment.

A Tory election press release entitled "Just the Facts" lists 20 unions that it says would be affected by an oil sands moratorium

Meanwhile, in the same article, it's noted that former BC Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair is running as a candidate for the Green Party. Other interesting contradictions are pointed out as well.

It's getting strange out there, isn't it?

Peter Lougheed and Jack Layton agreeing on the oil sands. Stephen Harper, Carole James and Jack Layton on the same side of the carbon-tax issue. Vancouver Centre Conservative hopeful Lorne Mayencourt supporting Gordon Campbell's carbon tax while a member of the provincial Liberal caucus, but days later agreeing with his new party's attack on the very idea of such a tax.