Ted Morton: Canada may win the Line 5 battle, but we’re still losing the war

The Enbridge Line 5 pipeline confrontation is political theatre at its best and worst. But this doesn’t mean it’s inconsequential. There is virtually zero chance that the Governor of Michigan can unilaterally close down an existing pipeline that crosses both state and international boundaries. This type of issue is way outside any one state’s jurisdiction. But this doesn’t mean that Canada will have won. We may win this battle, but we are still losing the war to Blockadia — the well-organized, well-financed crusade to block oil pipelines out of Canada, and, by extension, to shut down the Canadian oilsands.

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‘Dire situation’: Over 120 retired US generals sign letter slamming Biden govt, say nation in fight against ‘socialism & Marxism’

Warning that the US is in “deep peril” from a “full-blown assault on our constitutional rights,” over 120 former top military brass have signed a letter outlining threats to its “survival,” including Biden administration policies.

The open letter, published on Monday by a group called ‘Flag Officers 4 America’, questions the result of the 2020 election, President Biden’s “mental and physical condition,” and sounds off on a number of hot-button topics, including China, the Iran nuclear deal, critical race theory, and the border wall.

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Canada: Stall Line 5 shutdown due to treaty discussions with U.S.

…The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked the court to stop the closure until the United States and Canada have considered its effect on a 1977 treaty between the two countries that barred either nation from interfering in the operations of international oil pipelines. Canada has started discussions with the Biden administration in an effort to resolve the situation, the amicus brief said.

Nothing is going to happen until the judge renders a decision and that’s weeks away.

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Canada could see 50% cut in fuel capacity if Line 5 pipeline shut down … or is it all all just Whitmer ignoring pipeline treaty obligations for show?

Experts are painting a grim picture of what Canada could face if the Line 5 pipeline gets shut down, with some saying the country could see its fuel capacity get cut in half.

The pipeline, which serves as a vital artery for North America’s energy infrastructure, is facing a looming shutdown threat from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who set a Wednesday deadline last November that owner Enbridge has said it has no plans to meet.


But not so fast Whitmer…

Michigan orders closure of pipeline in escalating dispute with Canada

… In February, a federal court ordered Michigan and Enbridge to enter mediation. Recently, Michigan has argued that the case should be heard by a state court, which could give it a more favourable judgment.

But international trade lawyer Lawrence Herman says that the United States, not Michigan, is legally bound to keep the pipeline running.

He points to the 1977 Transit Pipelines Treaty between Canada and the United States, which was ratified by the US congress.

“Regardless of what the state of Michigan may or may not want to do, the treaty is binding on the United States as a whole,”said Herman. “It’s a matter between the two governments: Canada and the United States.”


It’s possible the treaty obligations could be ignored by the Biden Admin and so far the White House’ position does not look promising for Canada: 

Canada warns Michigan oil line shutdown could undermine U.S. ties

“We don’t weigh in on that … it will be decided in court,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm told reporters on Tuesday when asked about the White House’s position on Line 5.

I don’t think worry about Canada keeps the White House awake at night. Looks like the CBC has been tasked with softening the blow:

Biden is unlikely to come to Canada’s rescue in Line 5 dispute with Michigan

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New WH Deputy Director Tweeted ICE ‘Doesn’t Have to Exist’ in 2018, Called on Activists to ‘Shut-it-Down’

Let Joe sniff her hair, got hired.

When activists take over any country’s government, the country said government oversees will see a general downturn, not only in the freedom that government “allows” its populace to have, but in the “tolerance” displayed by the “useful idiots” towards anyone or thing that doesn’t fit its “worldview.”

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Ottawa steps into legal dispute over Michigan’s order to shut down the Line 5 oil pipeline

OTTAWA—In a bid to keep a crucial oil pipeline flowing into Ontario, the federal government has stepped into the legal battle over Enbridge’s Line 5, arguing the threatened shutdown raises “grave concerns” about Canada’s relationship with the United States.

Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan announced the move on Tuesday, one day before Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s May 12 deadline to shut down the portion of the pipeline that runs under the Straits of Mackinac between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

“Line 5 is essential to our energy security,” O’Regan said in a statement Tuesday.

Seamus O’Regan? Not reassured.

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Baltimore City State Attorney‘s Office Asks FCC to Censor Local News

The Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office, headed by the embattled Marilyn Mosby, has filed a formal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) against a local news station for alleged “blatantly slanted, dishonest, misleading, racist, and extremely dangerous” coverage in a move many believe is an attempt by Mosby to censor reporting on her own federal criminal investigation.

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DEA Official: Mexican Cartels Smuggling Fentanyl Across Border With Impunity

Mexican cartels are trafficking deadly narcotics into the United States with impunity, a top Drug Enforcement Administration official said on Monday.

Cooperation between U.S. and Mexican authorities to target cartels has deteriorated amid a surge of illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, Matthew Donahue, the DEA deputy chief of operations, told NPR. Donahue said Mexican law enforcement have cut off ties with the DEA, fearing punishment from the Mexican government if they cooperate with the U.S. agency—a breakdown that has helped cartels smuggle fentanyl and methamphetamines into the United States.

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Microwaving the White House: Enemies Are Now Sonic Attacking Americans from American Soil

Unidentified parties have in recent years been directing sonic attacks on U.S. officials on American soil. One such attack even occurred on the grounds of the White House.

We should not be surprised. Failure to impose costs on known sonic attackers — the Cuban and Chinese regimes — almost certainly emboldened the perpetrators to think they could harm Americans in America.

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The Zarif-Kerry Bromance Saga Continues

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif evidently had no idea that Israel had launched 200 airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria until John Kerry, now President Biden’s climate czar, told him, according to Washington Free Beacon reporter Adam Kredo.  Kredo managed to obtain the audio file of Zarif’s leaked phone interview in which Kerry’s disclosure was revealed and had it independently translated.

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Canada’s Realization That Its Covid Response Was Worse Than the U.S. Is a Blow to Its National Prestige

Canada’s Realization That Its Covid Response Was Worse Than the U.S. Is a Blow to Its National Prestige

Canada’s overall response to the Covid pandemic has been a blow to the country’s national prestige. Canadians are asking themselves why America will get back to normal months before Canada.

They’re supposed to have a superior health care system. They’re supposed to have a more competent and civilized government. They’re supposed to be better than the U.S.

Canada’s leaders used this fantasy to explain away their own failings. “You think it’s bad here, just look at what’s happening in America!”

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As clock ticks down on Enbridge’s Line 5, anxiety grows in Sarnia and Michigan

CALGARY — For Mike Bradley, the mayor of Sarnia, the impending shutdown of a pipeline that supplies fuel to his city’s biggest employers has been “hovering” for seven months.

That anxiety has been steadily building ahead of a deadline this month imposed by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer for Enbridge Inc. to shut down its Line 5 pipeline, which crosses through Michigan, where it delivers more than half of the state’s propane needs, en route to deliver oil to Ontario, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

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