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Jane Fonda says people should not be fooled by Trudeau
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Actress Jane Fonda speaks at a press conference for indigenous rights, in Edmonton Alta, on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017. (The Canadian Press via AP/Jason Franson)
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ctress Jane Fonda said Wednesday that people should not be fooled by "good-looking liberals" like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who "disappointed" her by approving pipelines from the Alberta oil sands.
Fonda said after touring the oil sands area that environmentalists everywhere were impressed by Trudeau at the Paris climate conference in late 2015.
"We all thought, well, cool guy," Fonda said. "What a disappointment ...
"He talked so beautifully of needing to meet the requirements of the climate treaty and to respect and hold to the treaties with indigenous people. Such a heroic stance he took there, and yet he has betrayed every one of the things he committed to in Paris."
Last year, Trudeau approved Kinder Morgan's plans to triple the capacity of the Trans Mountain pipeline from Alberta to the Pacific Coast, and he approved replacing Enbridge's Line 3 to Wisconsin.
But he also pushed ahead with a national carbon price and he rejected Enbridge's Northern Gateway project to northwest British Columbia, which would pass through the Great Bear Rainforest as his Liberal Party government tries to balance the oil industry's desire to tap new markets in Asia against the concerns of environmentalists.
(Read also: Trump says BuzzFeed 'garbage' for publishing allegations)
Fonda, a 79-year-old political activist and two-time Oscar winner for best actress, is the latest celebrity to visit and express concerns about the Alberta oil sands. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio and Hollywood film director James Cameron have also visited.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said Fonda is using her celebrity to promote ill-informed information.
Notley said Fonda should not lecture oil workers about getting jobs elsewhere and added that it was "tone deaf" for the actress to visit Fort McMurray, Alberta, so soon after devastating wildfires that destroyed 2,400 homes and buildings.
Notley, who leads the left-leaning New Democratic party, also said Alberta has a plan that makes the province a climate leader in North America.
"Dining out on your celebrity is something that someone ought to pair with knowledge and research and she failed to do that," Notley said of Fonda. "She didn't know what she was talking about. It's not helpful."
Alberta, which has the world's third largest oil reserves, needs infrastructure in place to export its growing oil production. Approving Trans Mountain helps diversify Canada's oil exports. Ninety-seven percent of Canadian oil exports now go to the U.S.
