A Secretive Network Is Fighting Indigenous Rights in Australia and Canada, Expert Says

It’s all part of a global playbook from the U.S.-based Atlas Network to protect the profits of fossil fuel and mining companies, argues a Sydney researcher.

A campaign to deny Indigenous peoples a voice in Australia’s national Parliament is using tactics similar to an earlier conservative legal battle against First Nations communities in Canada, a new research paper argues.

In addition to Australia and dozens of other countries, several Atlas Network members are based in Canada. And they too have led efforts attempting to undermine greater recognition of Indigenous legal rights. An Ottawa-based think tank and Atlas member called the MacDonald Laurier Institute spent years advocating against Canada’s federal government adopting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, otherwise known as UNDRIP.

That’s because UNDRIP contained clauses that could potentially give Canada’s Indigenous peoples greater say over fossil fuel and natural resource projects on their territories. “It is difficult to overstate the legal and economic disruptions that may have followed from such a step,” read documents produced by the Atlas Network and the Macdonald Laurier Institute that were obtained by DeSmog.

The think tank has actively cultivated pro-industry Indigenous representatives as the face of its advocacy efforts on this and other natural resources issues in order to provide “a shield against opponents that is hard to undermine,” according to the documents. First Nations critics refer to such strategies as “redwashing.”

“It’s a way of [industry] making their claims about their relationship with Indigenous peoples sound better than they actually are in reality,” Kris Statnyk, a Gwich’in First Nation lawyer based in British Columbia, told Drilled this summer. Read more https://www.desmog.com/2023/10/10/a-secretive-network-is-fighting-indigenous-rights-in-australia-and-canada-expert-says/ www.desmog.com/2023/10/10/a-se…

#AtlasNetwork #UNDRIP #Indigenous #ThinkTank #FossilFuel #cdnpoli

Canada’s Top Court Sides With Alberta Over Trudeau’s Environmental Impact Law

Friday, October 13, 2023, 9:43 AM MDT

(Reuters) — Canada’s Supreme Court on Friday ruled a federal law assessing how major infrastructure projects like coal mines and oilsands plants impact the environment is largely unconstitutional, in a blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government.

The decision is a victory for Alberta, Canada’s main fossil fuel-producing province, which opposed the Impact Assessment Act (IAA), formerly known as Bill C-69, on the grounds it gave the federal government too much power to kill natural resource projects.

“This is a significant setback for the federal government,” said David Wright, a law professor at the University of Calgary.

The court case is the latest flashpoint between the federal Liberals and Alberta’s conservative provincial government, whose Premier Danielle Smith has clashed repeatedly with Trudeau over climate policies. Industry associations also welcomed the ruling.

Major proposed projects in Alberta that fall under the IAA include Suncor Energy Inc.’s plan to expand its oilsands Base Mine, and privately held Coalspur Mine Ltd.’s Vista coal mine expansion. Read more https://www.dailyoilbulletin.com/article/2023/10/13/canadas-top-court-sides-with-alberta-over-trudeaus/ www.dailyoilbulletin.com/artic…

#IAA #BillC-69 #ClimateChange #environment #abpoli #cdnpoli #EnvironmentalImpactLaw #SurpremeCourt

The Israel-Hamas War Is Drowning X in Disinformation

In the wake of Hamas’ deadly attacks on Israel this weekend—and the Israeli military’s response—journalists, researchers, open source intelligence (OSINT) experts, and fact-checkers rushed to verify the deluge of raw video footage and images being shared online by people on the ground. But users of X (formerly Twitter) seeking information on the conflict faced a flood of disinformation.

While all major world events are now accompanied almost instantly by a deluge of disinformation aimed at controlling the narrative, the scale and speed at which disinformation was being seeded about the Israel-Hamas conflict is unprecedented—particularly on X.

“For many reasons, this is the hardest time I’ve ever had covering a crisis on here,” Justin Peden, an OSINT researcher from Alabama known online as the Intel Crab, posted on X. “Credible links are now photos. On the ground news outlets struggle to reach audiences without an expensive blue check mark. Xenophobic goons are boosted by the platform’s CEO. End times, folks.”

When Peden covered the escalation in Gaza in 2021, the sources he was seeing in his feed were from people on the ground or credible news agencies. This weekend, he says, verified content or primary sources were virtually impossible to find on X. Read more https://www.wired.com/story/x-israel-hamas-war-disinformation/ www.wired.com/story/x-israel-h…

#news #Hama #Israela #disinformation #twitter #x #conflict #cdnpoli #world

Opportunity Knocks: Program Helps Open Doors to Careers in Clean Energy

The energy industry’s focus on a low-carbon future is opening doors for people with transferable skills that will be in high demand. Now, an innovative program that harnesses the experience of senior leaders is helping prepare up-and-coming professionals answer the door when opportunity knocks.

Careers in Energy (CIE) and Higher Landing have teamed up to offer the Canadian Clean Energy Shuttle Program (CCES) that empowers new energy workers and veterans alike to reimagine themselves in the new energy landscape. This program is Canada’s first clean energy career management program designed to help professionals evolve their careers in the clean energy sector.

No Cost to Participants

Fully funded by the Government of Canada, CCES is free to participants but is only offered for a limited time with new cohorts every month until the end of 2023. In particular, it seeks to attract candidates who are underrepresented in the energy industry, including new Canadians, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and women.

Higher Landing has helped 6,000 people “land higher” on their career paths by offering programs for professionals looking to enter the industry or make a career change into cleantech. Company President Jackie Rafter says the CCES program helps Canadians understand the opportunities and evolve into sustainable jobs in the clean energy sector. |Read more https://www.dailyoilbulletin.com/article/2023/10/11/opportunity-knocks-program-helps-open-doors-to-car/| www.dailyoilbulletin.com/artic…

#CleanEnergy #FreeTraining #energy #jobs #cdnpoli #career