[A-List] Canada's Bargain-basement Oil Royalty Regime

[Macdonald Stainsby]

Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:

> Also, is there any book or article that covers Canada, the USA, and
> Mexico at the same time and discusses economic integration of the
> three countries with emphasis on energy questions?

The problem with this question is that it gets infested by Canadian 
natinalism in the response. While it is very true that the Canadian 
state is busy pumping out energy at a rate of little royalties for the 
benefit of US corporations, it is equally true that the ruling class of 
Canada is still quite well to do on the matter. It bears note that this 
construct is considered unimportant to many on the left, simply for the 
reason that there remains the tendency to simply be annoyed at US 
malfeasance.

Asking for a Canadian Chavez is impossible-- Canada is an imperialist 
state, despite the self-soothing sounds that some on the NDP left like 
to sing to one another about American evil while Canadians rape and 
pillage nation after nation and nation-state after nation-state 
(Afghanistan, Haiti, Turtle Island).

Because this form of nationalism has nothing to do with undertanding 
either social realities nor the actual class questions involved, it 
leaves a first world imperialist country version of populism, something 
that is a total fantasy, as a "solution". Yet, the *class* components to 
the Free Trade Agreements and energy are well documented by such groups 
as the Council of Canadians:
Canadians.org
or for that matter, Chris Black's comrades in the CPC.

A nationalist angle leaves no choice for the oil but to continue in the 
manner it does headng to feed imperialism's homebase south, because 
capitalism needs the energy in a peak oil reality, hence the Bush 
regimes demands that the worst possible environmental and in many cases 
genocidal policies be pursued. Further, the nationalist angle means that 
the indigenous question, calling Canadian nationalist aspirations into 
question, gets either back burnered or downright lied about.

As Quebecois nationalists are wont to speak of how Québec has been less 
oppressive towards indigenous folk than most Anglo regions of Canada, 
Canadians like to say that their slow torture version of indigenous 
colonies is morally superior to the lawn mower approach of the USA.

Capital is the problem, imperialism is the current form, and the efeat 
of te entire North American imperialist monster is far more important 
than listening to white supremacist nations argue among each oher over 
petty notions of goodness.

Canadian nationalism is like Austria: because Austria was a full fledged 
nazi state but never got put through the whle atonement that Germany 
was, Haider makes sense to come from there more so than Bonn or East 
Berlin. Canada, unblemished in the US fashion, will now help more and 
more to prettify imperialism the world over. Any appeals to dead end 
nationalism will only prolong this garbage and not help end the ecocidal 
death march we are currently embarked on, dragged along by Ottawa, 
Edmonton, and Cushing, Okla.




-- 
Macdonald Stainsby
http://independentmedia.ca/survivingcanada
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
In the contradiction lies the hope
    --Bertholt Brecht.