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I ask this, particularly, following his approval of the Kinder Morgan pipeline. Now, he has approved it. But apparently that’s it. We did not see a whole cabinet behind him when he did. We did not see a group of oil workers, pipe-fitters, union men, carpenters, engineers and technicians there, either, as a kind of counterpoint to the Paris show, for example, to demonstrate how great the constituency was for a new pipeline, and how many there are in industry and the trades, and all supporting activities, who would so much benefit from its construction. No special photographer was retained at substantial cost to document every nuance of the announcement for history (and immediate tweeting).

Is he going to sell the pipelines with the same vigour and commitment and intensity that he so willing gives over to the more tentative issue of global warming? Will we see him and Minister McKenna (with their usual chorus) as a counter to the professional protestors who are so steadfast in opposing every specific project and the oil sands more generally?

If the economy and the environment are the twin peaks of his concern, should we not expect at least equal passion on both fronts? Absent such equivalence it may be fair to inquire how serious his “approval” really is. If his enthusiasms and passion are really on just one side of this troubled equation, then what hopes now reside in those waiting for a return to work and dignity are hoping in vain. Worse, one might begin to believe that some of this is little more than a game. Let time and protest overwhelm the approval of Kinder Morgan while taking credit for having tried.

Let the same excitement and conviction that marks concern for the environment mark the concern for the many who have lost their jobs in Alberta and elsewhere. They are Canadians. They deserve only what the prime minister has promised — an equal measure of his care and concern.