The ghost of Bible Bill Haunts us still

In the late '30s and early '40s Alberta's premier was the colourful William Aberhart, known as "Bible Bill" for his bible studies classes and radio sermons. Founder of the Social Credit Party, Bible Bill introduced a variety of legislation during his term, some good, some not so much. An example of the latter was his Accurate News and Information Act which would have forced newspapers to print government rebuttals to stories the provincial cabinet deemed inaccurate. Needless to say, the Supreme Court deemed the Act unconstitutional.

I thought of Bible Bill when reading about Jason Kenney's Public inquiry into anti-Alberta energy campaigns. Premier Kenney and his colleagues are mighty angry about Canadian environmental groups receiving donations from Americans. The inquiry has come as a surprise to many. In a democracy one does not expect the government to use the powers of the state to harass those citizens who challenge its policies. But this is Alberta, Bible Bill country even today.

Many may also wonder just what the issue is. So some Americans are donating to some Canadian charities. So? The donations are legal and quite appropriate—after all, greenhouse gasses produced from Alberta fossil fuels don't stay in Alberta. They affect the lives of Americans and everyone else, so all have a right to be involved.

Both donors and charities are environmentalists so naturally they support dramatically reducing the burning of fossil fuels, as do all people with good sense in the face of global warming. And, needless to say, the country's fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions, the tar sands, catches their particular attention, as it should.

It's not as if the anti-fossil fuel groups are alone in enjoying American largesse. Pro-fossil fuel organizations such as the Fraser Institute are heavily funded by American companies, including oil interests. Not that I'm creating an equivalence. The Tides Foundation's  donations to the Pembina Institute promote its interest in a cleaner, greener world. Koch Industries' donations to the Fraser Institute promote its interest in an industry that's fouling the planet but which makes Koch large sums of money.

And then there's the oil industry itself. In an act of monumental hypocrisy, Premier Kenney attacks environmentalists for accepting foreign money while actively encouraging foreign investment in the industry.

The commissioner of the inquiry, Steve Allen, is a man of substantial achievement and integrity. Why he has chosen to chair this folly is a puzzle. Perhaps he simply believes in public service and when the premier calls it his duty to serve. I only hope his reputation survives the witch hunt.