OTTAWA — NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair walked away from reporters Wednesday when asked to clarify his party’s stance on the oilsands and the conflicting view of a possible NDP candidate. Two potential NDP candidates in coming byelections in Trinity–Spadina and Fort McMurray–Athabasca appear to have very different opinions on the role that Alberta’s oilsands should play in Canada’s economy. NDP organizer turned Trinity–Spadina hopeful candidate Joe Cressy has campaigned for years against “tarsands” development. He has called it “the most environmentally destructive project in Canada, if not the Earth,” and has lobbied for an end to federal support for its production. The Liberal party says Cressy was behind an anti-oilsands video game that surfaced during the last election, where players got to squirt Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff, then the Liberal leader, with oil from the “dirty tarsands.”

(Tarsandwatch.org) The NDP candidate by acclamation in Fort McMurray–Athabasca, however, is a keen supporter of the oilsands. Lori McDaniel works nights driving a heavy hauler for Suncor Energy and believes that Canadians need the wealth produced from Alberta’s resources. In an interview with The Huffington Post Canada on Wednesday, she said it is hard to hear people all over the world criticize the oilsands while not fully understanding the issue. “My view of the oilsands is that it is absolutely necessary. I work right in it. I operate the heavy equipment in the mine. We need to make sure that it is sustainable, that it is here for a long time. “Environmentally, we have to be responsible, but it is something that is absolutely benefitting a lot of people all over the country,” she said in a phone conversation. McDaniel is in favour of strong federal environmental regulations but she says it is up to government, not companies, to lead. She blames the Conservative government for not pushing ahead on regulation.