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“I would categorize Ed Whittingham as a pro-foreign oil activist. His activism has been a huge competitive advantage for the American oil industry,” she said, adding that during the 10-year span of the Tar Sands Campaign, U.S. oil output has doubled.

“There is nothing anti-oil about the Tar Sands Campaign, absolutely nothing. None of those U.S. funders, not one of these activists, like Ed Whittingham, are anti-oil. They may say they are but if you look at their actions they haven’t kept one barrel of oil in the ground. All they’ve done is shift where the oil is produced, from an ethical place like Alberta to the Middle East and the United States,” she added.

Krause says she spent more than two hours, over two phone calls, speaking with Whittingham, whom she said seemed like a very “nice man.”

But, “I cannot see how it’s justifiable to appoint this individual to the AER, given that he readily agreed with me that their campaign sacrificed Canada,” Krause said of her conversation with Whittingham, who admitted in his email that he spoke with Krause twice.

Krause says she also rejects the idea that appointing Whittingham to the AER brings needed balance. “If you look at his record, he is not balanced towards the industry that fuels Canada’s economy. He is a very effective opponent of it.”

This appointment is an outrage. For Notley & Co., it’s apparently not enough to have U.S. billionaires attacking Alberta through environmental groups. She brings those complicit with that tactic into the fold. Then again, considering her anti-oil-and-gas cabinet, Whittingham fits right in. Why not email her at premier@gov.ab.ca and tell her what you think of this appointment.

Licia Corbella is a Postmedia columnist. lcorbella@postmedia.com