LINKS April 4, 2011

BORDER

Border officials violated rules in forwarding photos [CP]

International search is on for missing Canadian couple [Spokesman-Review - WA]

Border guards to scan air, waterways, and shore [CTV]

US and Canadian officials celebrate longer hours at the Wild Horse Port [KFBB- Montana]

LABOUR/LABOR

Canadians decry Wisconsin anti-union labor law [presstv.ir]

MILITARY

War in Libya used to defend need for better fighters [Ottawa Citizen]

Canadians protected amid Qu-ran protests: Cannon [CBC]

ARCTIC

First-ever US Arctic investment summit [pr-usa.net]

TRADE

Stalking the savvy shopper [The Province - Vancouver]

Bills trying to raise their profile in Toronto [Globe and Mail]

ENERGY

No to a new tar sands pipeline [NY Times]

US media divided on proposed Keystone XL pipeline [Postmedia News]

Exxon test mega-load will roll Monday [Boise Weekly - Idaho]

Big rig opponents: Exxon comments validate fight [The Missoulian - Montana]

Environmentalists sue over mega-loads [The Independent Record - Helena, Montana]

Lawsuit tries to stop oil sands equipment from moving through Montana [Calgary Herald]

Liberal energy plan smacks of Trudeau: economist [Calgary Sun]

Leach: Liberals’ significant climate plan cloaked in silence [Globe and Mail]

Politicians need to see this: oil sands workers [Edmonton Journal]

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On Twitter at luizachsavage

Category: Today's Links

LINKS April 1, 2011

Updated 8:25 pm EST

BORDER

International weapons smuggling ring was based in Alberta: police [CP]

Canadian closes 3 border crossings [UPI]

Miller seeks 100 percent secure borders by 2016 [Detroit News]

Secure border act would tell DHS to prevent all illegal entries within 5 years [HSToday.com]

Canadian man arrested in Maine after bogus detonator threat made on bus [AP]

US Border patrol report [The Northern Light - WA]

Israeli traveler humiliated in Germany, Canada [ynetnews.com]

DIPLOMACY

High on the job: Ambassador Doer thrives on the adrenaline rush [Winnipeg Free Press]

Practical politics at work [Winnipeg Free Press]

TRADE

Harper talks trade, but is this just an outreach exercise? [Globe and Mail]

CRIME

Court documents link second polygamous leaders to cross-border marriages [CP]

MILITARY

No Canadian boots on the ground in Libya, Harper vows [Postmedia News]

Gates says other nations can arm Libyan rebels [NY Times]

NATO warns rebels against attacking civilians [NY Times]

Lawmakers batter Gates on Libya [Washington Post]

ENERGY

Enormous Kearl-bound oil sands shipments target of Montana lawsuit [CP]

100 US landowners tell Clinton Keystone XL pipeline too risky [NRDC.org]

Former State Dept. envoy backs Keystone pipeline [Reuters]

Republicans make ‘urgent case’ for TransCanada’s Keystone [Globe and Mail]

Republicans press Obama to approve oil sands pipeline [Postmedia News]

Republicans make ‘urgent case’ for Canadian oil [CP]

Pembina: tough but fair regulations would drive oil sands regulation [Petroleum Economist]

Indigenous activists fight building massive pipelines from tar sands through US [alternet.org]

Enbridge pushes for political support of oil sands pipeline [Globe and Mail]

Alberta oil sands ‘greening’ good news for Ontario [Edmonton Journal]

Layton would slash oilsands subsidies [CBC]

Okla Commissioners to discuss Cushing oil suppply [COKO TV - Oklahoma City]

The Koch brothers come to Canada to promote their oil sands interests [rabble.ca]

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On Twitter at luizachsavage

 

Category: Today's Links

Foes praise Mar’s lobbying skill

March 28, 2011
By Luiza Ch. Savage

Gary Mar recently left his job as Alberta’s envoy to DC to run for the leadership of the Alberta Conservatives.

In a piece critical of his lobbying message, his skills as a lobbyist are nonetheless praised. The BC-publication, the Tyee, has been running a detailed series on the oil sands issue in Washington, DC. From the latest article, Climate group says oil sands war is ‘David and Goliath‘:

 

However, the most successful lobbying is often not adversarial at all.

What makes the Canadian and Alberta government’s oil sands sales pitch so effective, Pembina’s Droitsch says, is that many American policymakers mistake it for the full story.

“The message in Washington has been that there are no problems with the oil sands industry at all,” she says. “If a U.S. decision maker who’s very busy and has lots of things on their mind is being approached constantly by the Canadian embassy and government of Alberta, then that decision-maker doesn’t have balanced information.”

It helps too, Droitsch adds, that Alberta’s (former) U.S. representative, Gary Mar, is “a very nice guy, very easy to talk to and very knowledgeable” — in other words, an excellent salesman.

In fact, as one congressional aide told me, “Gary is quite frankly one of the best lobbyists I’ve met with.”

 

Personally, I don’t understand why he declined the reporter’s requests for an interview.

Also, Bilateralist has previously profiled the above-mentioned Danielle Droitsch.

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On Twitter at luizachsavage

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