Evidence of meeting #62 for Finance in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was work.
A video is available from Parliament.
8:05 p.m.
NDP
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
I presume the oil industry, for example, which invests about $20 billion of foreign investment in Canada, are on the other side of the debate. I don't presume they're funding the Suzuki Foundation in the interests of diversity of opinion.
What's wrong with advancing a position that you support?
8:05 p.m.
As an Individual
Because with the oil industry, for one, everyone has known for a long time that there's foreign investment, that there's foreign money. It's been relatively out in the open.
8:05 p.m.
NDP
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
But everyone knows that Canadians are entitled to fund foreign charities. We send money to other countries, not only for disaster relief, humanitarian aid, we also do human rights work and support democracy in other countries. So this is the kind of thing that we also receive here in Canada.
I don't know how you began doing this work. I know you're a former Conservative staff member. You've done some work for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers—
8:05 p.m.
NDP
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
You've worked in the salmon fishing industry.
I'd like to know, in terms of the work that you do, how is that funded today?
8:05 p.m.
As an Individual
You've raised a number of things.
First of all, I have never worked for the petroleum producers as you said.
8:05 p.m.
As an Individual
Yes, they paid me a $5,000 honorarium. It doesn't mean I did any work for them. All the research that I did was done long before I gave that talk.
I'd just like to come back to the point that you made about foreign philanthropy. I'm all for foreign philanthropy; I worked with the United Nations for 10 years. But I think Canada should be on the giving end.
American foundations are on track to spend—
8:05 p.m.
NDP
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
I have such little time, unfortunately. Who is funding your work today? Is that philanthropic on your part?
8:05 p.m.
As an Individual
No. My work has not been funded by anyone. I felt this was an important matter of public interest. I tried to find someone who would fund it, and I failed. I couldn't find any—
8:05 p.m.
NDP
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
You seem to have captured the ear of the federal government, so you must be a very good researcher.
I'd like to ask a—
8:05 p.m.
NDP
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
That's great.
I'd like to ask a question to Mr. Ellerton.
Your organization, Ethical Oil, is something that has grown very quickly in the public eye. If I remember, it was Mr. Levant from Sun Media who raised this as a concept, and it seemed to very quickly explode on the public scene. I'd just like to ask you why you think this has developed so quickly in the public consciousness. I know there are many people who work for Ethical Oil who have connections to the Conservative Party, and there's also been a lot of support through Sun Media.
Why do you think this idea has captured such attention, when it may take decades for other ideas to capture the public imagination?
May 28th, 2012 / 8:10 p.m.
Executive Director, EthicalOil.org
I think if you look at all the public attention, the energy needs we're facing, and with movements like fair trade coffee, people are being very conscious of where products they consume are sourced from. So an idea like ethical oil, where you differentiate where your oil comes from and be more informed about it, and you choose ethical oil from a place like Canada and other western liberal democracies, rather than to continue to rely on conflict oil that you'd import from OPEC—say Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Venezuela—is catching on with Canadians because it speaks to them. It speaks to their patriotism. It speaks to the values they care about, values like the environment, like human rights, like respect for workers.
8:10 p.m.
NDP
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
Thanks very much.
I get one last quick question. Where is the funding for your organization from?
8:10 p.m.
Executive Director, EthicalOil.org
Ethical Oil accepts donations from any Canadian or Canadian business.
8:10 p.m.
NDP
8:10 p.m.
Executive Director, EthicalOil.org
Ethical Oil accepts money from any Canadian or Canadian business. That would include organizations that produce Canada's ethical oil.
8:10 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you to the witnesses for coming today.
Congratulations, Ms. Krause, on your work with UNICEF in Guatemala and Indonesia. Who paid for your work while you were there?
