Rock legend Neil Young continued his campaign against the Alberta oilsands Thursday, saying he hopes to use his celebrity to bring more attention to the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation community and their fight against the oil industry.
鈥淲e can preserve what we have so we can say, 鈥榃e did the right thing.鈥� If we don鈥檛 it鈥檚 just going to look like the moon in Alberta,鈥� Young said.
鈥淚t is like a war zone, a disaster area from war, what鈥檚 happened up there. It鈥檚 gone,鈥� he added.
During the conference, which was moderated by David Suzuki, Young also criticized the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, telling reporters that he does not 鈥漟eel really good鈥� about the project and the idea that oil produced from Canadian oilsands would be sent to China -- a country he called one of the biggest polluters in the world.
Young鈥檚 harsh criticism of the Canadian energy industry has thrust the oilsands debate back into the public sphere in recent days as Young blasts the government for its development of oilsands in northern Alberta.
And the oil industry has fired back. In a press conference Thursday, Dave Collyer, president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, said Young has his facts wrong.
鈥淗is rhetoric is ill-informed, it鈥檚 divisive, and I think it does a disservice to Canadians, including those First Nations that he鈥檚 ostensibly trying to help,鈥� Collyer said.
Collyer invited Young and Athabasca Chipewyan Chief Allan Adam to a meeting in Calgary.
Young鈥檚 鈥淗onour the Treaties鈥� tour, which kicked off in Toronto on Sunday, looks to benefit the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and their legal fight against the development of an oilsands mine near their community.
Last month, the Canadian government approved an expansion project with Shell that aimed to double oilsands production to nearly 300,000 barrels a day.
Activists and members of the First Nation community say the planned expansions will cause widespread damage to local land, water and wildlife near the Jackpine mine site and violate treaty and environmental laws.
On their website, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nations group says it has launched 鈥渕ultiple legal motions鈥� against both the Canadian government and the oil industry in order to protect Alberta鈥檚 Athabasca region.
On Sunday, Young accused the government of 鈥渢rading integrity for money鈥� when it came to Alberta鈥檚 oil sands and said the rapid expansion of mines was 鈥渒illing鈥� First Nations people.
鈥淭he blood of these people will be on modern Canada鈥檚 hands,鈥� Young said.
鈥淲e will thank the First Nation for stopping this, if they鈥檙e able to stop it, because in 20 years from now or 30 years from now, we鈥檒l be able to look at all of the areas we saved and they鈥檒l still be here,鈥� Young said Thursday.
Collyer said Young failed to understand the close relationship between the oil industry and First Nation groups in Canada.
鈥淚 think his statement stems quite consistently from a lack of understanding of the oil sands and a lack of understanding of the realities of the energy mix in North America,鈥� Collyer told reporters.
鈥淵oung also fails to acknowledge the many significant successes, whether that be First Nations jobs, contracts, cultural programs, infrastructure and in many cases quite deep and enduring relationships that have been established between our industry and the First Nations and the oil sands.鈥�
Young has also received criticism from Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall on Wednesday after comparing the oil sands near Fort McMurray to the devastation caused at Hiroshima.
Wall called Young鈥檚 comments insensitive and ignorant and said the singer lost considerable credibility as a result of his remarks.
Richard Dixon, business professor from the University of Alberta, said that while Young is entitled to his opinion when it comes to the oilsands, discussions surrounding the oil industry in Canada should be based on more than just rhetoric.
鈥淚 think he needs to be a lot more objective, especially on his facts,鈥� he told CTV News Channel.
Dixon said Young鈥檚 campaign may be doing more harm to the First Nation community than good.
鈥淚s he helping that situation? In my opinion no, I think the dialogue should not be based on just rhetoric but sitting down looking at it objectively, at what are the issues and what needs to be resolved.鈥�
Young responded to his critics at Thursday鈥檚 conference, saying that the decision to halt oilsands development should be made by Canadians, not musicians.
鈥淎s far as me not knowing what I鈥檓 talking about, everybody knows that, that couldn鈥檛 be more obvious, I鈥檓 a musician,鈥� he said.
鈥淏ut in Edmonton, Alberta, seventy-seven per cent of the people that were polled by the newspaper there agree. Now those people probably have other jobs, other than my job, so the government should take note of that.鈥�
John Bennett, executive director of the Sierra Club, supports Young and says his high profile status will bring more attention to the Canadian oil industry and its impact on the environment.
鈥淗e鈥檚 doing a great job, he鈥檚 standing up and saying the things that need to be said and I鈥檓 very glad he鈥檚 decided to do it and do it right now,鈥� Bennett told CTV News Channel.
鈥淓very newscast in the last three days has mentioned Neil Young and his fight with the oilsands and that鈥檚 something that all Canadians need to know.鈥�
Bennett also said Young鈥檚 comparison of Alberta鈥檚 oilsands to the devastation in Hiroshima is fair.
鈥淗e鈥檚 not wrong, he鈥檚 right when he says the oil sands development is like Hiroshima in its devastation,鈥� Bennett said.
鈥淭he devastation around Fort McMurray is unbelievable in its scope and size, we have the same kind of unbelievable destruction that happened in Hiroshima plus the long-term impact of carbon dioxide emissions causing climate change, it鈥檚 going to kill far more people than Hiroshima.鈥�
Young said he hopes to raise $75,000 to help the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in its legal challenge. As of Thursday evening, the campaign had raised more than $63,000
After his concert in Winnipeg on Thursday, Young will head to Regina and conclude his tour in Calgary on Sunday.
